'Wants to make his word the law': Experts warn Trump DOJ is 'defiantly' disrespecting courts

02 May

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to members of the media at the White House in Washington,DC, U.S., April 8, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis

Former prosecutors and legal experts argue that the Department of Justice (DOJ), under Attorney General Pam Bondi, has been politicized as it implements extreme measures aimed at targeting President Donald Trump's perceived political opponents. The department is said to be supporting the president's business allies while adopting a strict stance on undocumented immigrants.

The Guardian reported Friday that some experts are even describing the DOJ under Bondi as Trump’s “personal law firm”.

Former prosecutor Ty Cobb told the Guardian, “Never in history has DOJ broken so defiantly from respecting, as it’s obligated to do, the decisions of federal courts." Cobb was a counsel in the White House during Trump’s first term.

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“This is a war that Trump and Bondi are waging against the rule of law," he said.

Former prosecutors say Bondi and the department’s leading attorneys have halted certain high-profile prosecutions and dismissed or pushed out lawyers who failed to align with Make America Great Again (MAGA) principles. Some were reportedly directed by Trump to probe a significant Democratic fundraising organization.

Another ex-federal prosecutor, Daniel Richman, said: “Outside the immigration area, most of what Bondi has actually done so far, however, has been negative – like dropping the case against Mayor Adams and cases against FCPA defendants and firing prosecutors”.

Richman added: “We will soon see how this administration fares when it actually seeks a result in court, even if it’s only defensive. As the proceedings in the recent Maryland deportation case highlighted, courts demand a candor and respect for law that the justice department’s leadership finds inconsistent with the loyalty it demands.”

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Another former federal prosecutor Paul Rosenzweig said: “DOJ isn’t just another department like agriculture or HHS. It has a unique place in the US government as the home of the ‘rule of law’ and the guardian of what makes America special."

Rosenzweigh quoted Thomas Paine who had said, "In America, the law is king."

"Trump wants to make his word the law and himself the king," he added.

Several experienced prosecutors who left the department after Trump and Bondi assumed office have stated that the administration's actions raised warning signs, which is why they decided to quit.

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