'Things have changed': DOJ staff run for exits as Trump crumbles

Bloomberg Law reports political appointees across the Justice Department are scrambling for exits due to fears that their associations with a Trump agenda that voters resoundingly rejected will “tank their careers,” said current and former Trump DOJ officials.

“There are people who realized things have fundamentally changed in the country, and if that’s the direction the president wants to go, they’re not as aligned anymore — partly because that’s not the direction America is going and also because they need to work,” said one former Trump DOJ official, describing discussions with multiple current appointees.

President Donald Trump’s elevation of advisor Stephen Miller to chief of staff has fueled further distress, reports Bloomberg, spurring a rash of sudden calls to private sector friends and associates for quick employment advice, according to some of the officials.

“The handful of officials spoke anonymously about sensitive deliberations that reflect a grim mood at department headquarters, where Attorney General Todd Blanche and his inner circle are bracing for bruising congressional oversight,” reports Bloomberg. “The mid-level aides and senior leaders seeking off-ramps are poised to accelerate what’s already been a rapid exodus of four Senate-confirmed DOJ officials since Democrats dominated the midterms.

Sources said there’s been “a new flurry of department politicals seeking career help in the past week.”

Bloomberg reports Kiersten Pels dismissed source claims.

“The resounding truth is that the vast majority of political appointees at the Department are proud to work here,” Pels said, and cited a “record number of prosecutions” and reduced crime.

However, DOJ’s Civil Division leader Brett Shumate abandoned his post Monday and legislative affairs chief Patrick Davis leapt from the building last month, even as national security head John Eisenberg, left with help.

“For those remaining, there’s trepidation about the future because of DOJ head Todd Blanche,” reports Bloomberg. “… As Republicans contemplate their party’s post-Trump future, some DOJ lawyers worry their professional reputations and earnings potential will suffer if they don’t distance themselves, … officials said.”

And those who have already made the great leap from the Trump administration to the private sector are suddenly fielding calls to help other DOJ types land employment.

“One recent department leader now in the private sector described receiving texts from about five DOJ political appointees seeking career advice in recent days. Several other department veterans of both Trump administrations observed similar outreach,” reports Bloomberg.

There also appears to be a split between generally younger, MAGA-aligned lawyers fresh from conservative think tanks or Republican state attorneys general offices, who are embracing Trump and Blanche’s upcoming post-midterm fight with Democratic oversight, but others with thicker resumes and solid careers “recognize their bar licenses could be on the line, depending on what’s ordered of them or what’s disclosed on Capitol Hill, some of the officials said.”

“At least a few are considering purchasing professional liability insurance — a longstanding protection many DOJ attorneys have — said one senior administration official,” reports Bloomberg.

The sudden desertion is sure to cause problems with the administration, which is already having problems keeping the DOJ stocked with competent lawyers. After the midterms, some recent recruits even “rescinded their acceptances” from the Trump administration, according to a person familiar with internal department dynamics.

“It might not be possible to keep up with the heavy workloads, and they’re going to make mistakes,” said Rod Rosenstein, deputy attorney general in Trump’s first term.