DOJ Employees Receive Memos on DEI, Weaponization Groups, Targeting Cartels, and More as AG Bondi Takes Helm
Workers at the Department of Justice (DOJ) are on the receiving end of a slew of memos and directives from new Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Within hours of taking office, the Attorney General issued 14 memos to DOJ employees, covering everything from workforce policies to directions on investigations.
Ending “Weaponization” of DOJ
One memo established a “Weaponization Working Group.” The group will examine a number of cases including the Special Counsel investigation into President Trump, the New York state charges against President Trump, investigative tactics surrounding the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and other cases.
The goal is to determine “instances where a department's or agency's conduct appears to have been designed to achieve political objectives or other improper aims rather than pursuing justice or legitimate governmental objectives.”
Quarterly reports on the group's findings will be sent to the White House.
Refusing to Advance Arguments
Another memo warned employees against refusing to advance legal arguments they disagree with, noting they could be subject to termination.
“When Department of Justice attorneys, for example, refuse to advance good-faith arguments by declining to appear in court or sign briefs, it undermines the constitutional order and deprives the President of the benefit of his lawyers,” noted the memo.
That memo in particular raised concerns among some in the legal community on whether DOJ’s independence is compromised.
“The tone that it sets is that you have to put your loyalty to Donald Trump above your oath to the laws and Constitution of the United States,” New York University professor Noah Rosenblum told Bloomberg.
Workforce Actions and DEI Elimination
When it comes to the DOJ's workforce, one memo ordered DOJ employees back to the office five days a week by Monday, February 24, 2025, in line with President Trump’s executive order on the issue.
Another memo ordered the department to eliminate internal discriminatory practices, in line with President Trump’s order ending Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. Employees were ordered to review everything from consent decrees and settlements to procurements and funding to ensure there is no bias based on race or gender.
And yet another memo takes aim at diversity programs in the private sector. It ordered the Civil Rights Division and Office of Legal Policy to recommend ways “to encourage the private sector to end illegal discrimination and preferences” by March 1, 2025.
DOJ employees are also asked to “investigate, eliminate, and penalize” DEI policies that violate federal law.
DOJ Policies
Other memos reviewed priorities for the new DOJ leadership.
That includes a focus on fighting drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPU) and the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS). Previously, such units were more focused on going after U.S. targets overseas that were using corrupt means to secure commercial advantages.
The attorney general also limited the reach of criminal prosecution under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). While FARA prosecutions rose in recent years, DOJ aims to limit its use to “instances of alleged conduct similar to more traditional espionage by foreign government actors.”
Yet another memo targeted illegal immigration and ordered that “consistent with law, ‘sanctuary jurisdictions; do not receive access to Federal funds from the Department.”
Deputy AG Nominee Pressed
Given all that’s transpired, Deputy Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche was questioned by senators from both sides of the aisle at his confirmation hearing on a number of these issues.
Blanche, who was one of President Trump’s defense lawyers in his criminal cases, would oversee the FBI if confirmed. He defended the move to collect the names of FBI agents involved in the January 6 investigations.
“It’s not a purge. It’s not firing agents,” Blanche said. “It’s collecting information so whatever happened, never happens again.”