‘Gangster state’: Justice Department’s reorganization proposal slammed by Democrats

Democrats in Congress criticized the Trump administration’s proposed plan to reorganize the Justice Department, which is part of a broader effort that has resulted in job losses and axed offices across government. 

In a March 25 memo published on Sunday by House Judiciary Committee Democrats, the deputy attorney general laid out possible overhauls to DOJ and asked for feedback from department components by Wednesday. 

House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., seized on proposals to reassign DOJ attorneys working on tax enforcement and stopping government corruption, leaving “a core team of supervisory attorneys” in the respective offices. He also denounced a plan to reduce the number of staff who prosecute violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits bribery of foreign government officials to advance business interests. 

“Their plan…is nothing less than a blueprint for replacing the rule of law with a pay-to-play gangster state,” Raskin said in a statement. 

In February, Trump signed a directive to temporarily halt new investigations under the FCPA and to issue new guidelines for its enforcement, arguing the law “has been systematically, and to a steadily increasing degree, stretched beyond proper bounds and abused in a manner that harms the interests of the United States.”  

The DOJ memo also calls for combining the Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Republicans have long criticized the ATF, arguing the law enforcement agency infringes on gun rights. 

Other notable proposals in DOJ’s reorganization plan include: 

• Consolidating grantmaking across offices that work to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault, support state and local police departments and promote tribal public safety. 
• Eliminating the Community Relations Service, which facilitates dialogue and mediation in communities experiencing conflict and violence. 
• Cutting field offices across the country, which follows a trend as agencies move to downsize their workforces. 

DOJ’s memo was prompted by a February executive order that mandated agency plans to implement widespread layoffs across the government in coordination with DOGE. The Defense Department, Health and Human Services Department and Small Business Administration also are all in the process of slashing their workforces.