Donald Trump’s efforts to utilize the Justice Department as a means of revenge against his enemies are proving to be less successful than he had hoped. The president’s strategy, which involves leveraging the department’s power to target and prosecute those who oppose him, is being hindered by the constraints of the legal system.
In 2017, Trump expressed frustration with the Justice Department’s independence, citing it as a limitation on his ability to investigate Hillary Clinton. Since taking office again, however, he has sought to exploit this independence for his own gain. The new administration has installed loyalists in key DOJ positions and fired those who might have objected to abuses of power.
Despite Trump’s efforts, the Justice Department has been slow to move forward with investigations demanded by the president. Federal prosecutors targeting protesters and Democratic politicians have faced embarrassing defeats. It appears that American criminal law is not as flexible a tool for an authoritarian leader like Trump as he had hoped.
The Attorney General, Pam Bondi, has launched a “Weaponization Working Group” to examine past investigations of Trump. The department is also moving towards a potential criminal investigation into officials involved in the 2016 Russian election interference probe. Additionally, the Office of Special Counsel has opened an investigation into Jack Smith, the former special counsel who oversaw two federal criminal prosecutions of Trump.
Trump’s strategy can be seen as a model of law enforcement as a weapon: targeting specific villains with preexisting grievances. However, other federal prosecutors are experimenting with a different approach: cracking down on dissent. Anti-ICE protesters and even Democratic elected officials pushing for oversight of immigration enforcement have faced criminal charges.
Source: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/08/trump-doj-political-prosecutions/683861