U.S. Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) with Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche during Blanche's confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 15, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Since returning to the White House one year and a half ago, Donald Trump has used to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to target his political foes — from former FBI Director James Comey to New York State Attorney General Letitia James — while pardoning allies, loyalists and supporters, including those connected to the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building. According to former Energy Department Director William S. Becker, Trump is creating a two-tiered justice system in which his allies are exempt from all "legal accountability."
"In his second term, Trump is doing more than ignoring legal and ethical constraints on his behavior," Becker argues in a Monday op-ed for The Hill. "He is helping his allies escape legal accountability, too. He has subverted equal justice to create two classes of citizens: one privileged, the other persecuted. The privileged group includes around 1500 supporters who participated in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. As president, Trump not only released them from jail and erased most of their criminal records, but he also wants to pay them millions of taxpayer dollars in restitution for the inconvenience of facing justice for trying to overturn a lawful election."
Becker continues, "Trump has also granted pardons to people who have given him political donations and financial favors, as well as to colleagues with whom he has direct financial or political ties. This pay-to-play scheme is wildly unethical, but the Constitution does not limit the president's pardon power. At last count, Trump's pardons had not only deprived victims of justice; they also wiped out nearly $2 billion in court-ordered fines, forfeitures and restitution for victims and taxpayers."
The "privileged group," according to Becker, "apparently includes the 1835 loyalists Trump has appointed to federal jobs as well as his 22 Cabinet-level officers."
"Thus protected, members of his Cabinet have openly lied to Congress and ignored laws," Becker laments. "For example, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche refuses to comply with the bipartisan law that requires him to release all files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The withheld files may contain additional references to Trump. They also contain the allegations against the 'Epstein class' — that is, other rich and prominent people who live lives of leisure, lack moral scruples and could have been involved in Epstein's crimes. The Justice Department has prosecuted none of them, except for Epstein's colleague, Ghislaine Maxwell."
Becker adds, "The untouchables also appear to include tens of thousands of federal immigration and border officers, including some who should be charged with civil rights violations and even killings…. It is no longer accurate to say that Trump aspires to be an autocrat, king or dictator. With his self-serving sabotage of the rule of law, he is already there."
