Why Trump’s Use of the Justice Department Fuels Calls for Impeachment

In a recent essay, the writer claims Donald Trump’s approach to the Justice Department represents a stark departure from post-Watergate norms, using the agency to reward supporters and punish opponents. Within his first month back, Trump issued over 1,500 pardons for individuals linked to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and negotiated a quid-pro-quo with former New York Mayor Eric Adams to drop bribery charges. High-level resignations, including interim U.S. attorney Danielle Sassoon and eight other DOJ lawyers, followed accusations of illegal appointments and politically motivated prosecutions of Letitia James and James Comey.

The piece also cites the DOJ’s antitrust approval of Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. after media outlets critical of Trump were shut down. It warns that such politicization erodes public trust in the law and calls for codified restrictions on presidential interference in prosecutorial decisions.