DOJ Loses Nearly 4,000 Staff Under Trump as John Oliver Blasts Politicization
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 10
DOJ Loses Nearly 4,000 Staff Under Trump as John Oliver Blasts Politicization
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 10
Summary
Nearly 4,000 Justice Department employees have left since Trump returned to office, with only about 1,400 hires replacing them, a staffing gap John Oliver cited as evidence of a department in crisis.
Oliver said the exodus followed purges of officials tied to investigations of Trump or his allies, while recruitment has weakened enough that the department is now seeking law-degree holders rather than experienced attorneys.
23,000 investigations were shut down after Pam Bondi took over, he said, as priorities shifted toward cases against Trump's perceived enemies and voter-fraud claims that have already lost 21 straight times in court.
The civil rights division was hit especially hard, with probes into police departments dropped while the department pursued claims of discrimination against white university applicants.
The critique lands as Trump loyalist Todd Blanche takes over as attorney general after defending presidential intervention in DOJ matters, underscoring broader fears about the department's independence.