WASHINGTON – In a significant move, newly appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi has initiated a review of the federal prosecution of Donald Trump, accompanied by a plan to reform the Justice Department, which the president has criticized as biased against conservative viewpoints.
Shortly after taking her oath of office at the White House, Bondi announced the establishment of a “weaponization working group.” This new team will scrutinize the actions of special counsel Jack Smith, who has brought charges against Trump in two separate criminal matters. Additionally, the group will analyze questionable investigative methods and potentially unethical prosecutions related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, as specified in her memo.
This directive aligns with Trump’s long-standing assertions that the Justice Department under President Biden has been “weaponized” against those with conservative beliefs. Notably, many of the department’s significant investigations have implicated the Democratic president and his son, and there remains a lack of evidence supporting claims that the prosecutions of Trump were driven by partisan motivations.
During her confirmation hearings last month, Bondi foreshadowed the formation of the working group, alleging that the Justice Department had targeted Trump specifically. Having previously served as Florida’s first female attorney general and later as a lobbyist, Bondi is expected to be scrutinized closely within Trump’s administration, particularly in light of his 2024 campaign rhetoric that suggests retribution against his perceived enemies.
Although Bondi asserts that her decisions will remain politically neutral, she did not dismiss the possibility of investigating Trump’s opposition during her confirmation testimony. She echoed Trump’s claims of political bias in the prosecutions against him, asserting that the Justice Department had been misused for years and that such practices must end.
While the memo outlining the ambitions of the “weaponization working group” appears extensive, it does not indicate that the group will possess any prosecutorial authority or the ability to subpoena individuals to comply with their investigations.
Interestingly, the memo does not include a review of ongoing investigations into Democrats by Biden’s Justice Department, such as the inquiries into Trump’s handling of classified materials and Hunter Biden’s legal issues, which resulted in felony convictions. Special counsel Smith’s investigations into Trump pertained to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and the alleged mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. These indictments were retracted following Trump’s November election win due to a longstanding policy prohibiting the prosecution of sitting presidents.
Smith has stated that political considerations did not influence his decisions, emphasizing that the evidence collected was sufficient to pursue charges against Trump regarding attempts to overturn the election results.
Before her swearing-in ceremony by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Trump commended Bondi’s prosecutorial history, expressing confidence that she would put an end to the perceived weaponization of federal law enforcement against conservatives.
Upon taking office, Bondi pledged to uphold her promises to Trump, affirming her commitment to restore integrity to the Justice Department while addressing violent crime nationwide.
As the new attorney general, Bondi’s responsibilities will also oversee the FBI, which is currently facing scrutiny over agents involved in investigations related to Trump. Recently, FBI employees filed lawsuits to halt the disclosure of names of personnel involved in these matters, following a request from the acting deputy attorney general to assess potential staffing changes.
In response to concerns, an FBI official later reassured employees that agents who conducted themselves ethically and followed orders would not be at risk of termination, advising that only those acting with corrupt intentions should be worried about their positions.
