The frantic scale and the speed of leadership changes that the Trump administration has made in the Department of Justice only in its first week indicate the degree to which it intends to rebuild not only the political direction of the department, but also the composition of its high ranks professionals. .
The senior officials who deal with national security and public corruption in the department have been transferred to areas very alien to their experience, as well as high -ranking employees who supervise environmental, antimonopoly and criminal cases. The senior officials who supervised the judicial immigration system were directly fired.
Each new administration replaces the political leadership of federal agencies and, over time, change some of the high career officials. But what happened in a matter of days in the department is very different: shed of decades of apolitical experience for new assignments widely seen in the building as punishments that would probably result in resignations.
Together, the first measures suggest a deep distrust of non -partisan career staff that normally makes recommendations to the designated politicians about whether to present positions, negotiate agreements or close cases without taking measures.
President Trump and his supporters have long complained about a “deep state” of government government officials who believe they are hostile to republican political leadership and, in many ways, the measures are a bombing against parts of the department that enforced laws that some conservatives do. I don’t like it, but I can’t get Congress to change.
In the Environment and Natural Resources Division, which presents civil and criminal cases to enforce the country’s environmental protection laws, lawyers have been ordered to freeze all their efforts, even do not make judicial presentations. At the moment, it cannot present new complaints about companies that violate environmental laws, or present or promulgate consent decrees to end these litigation, or intervene in other cases.
The order has generated initial problems because the division was negotiating agreements for existing demands and, in some cases, a court order demanded that it issue presentations, such as procedures updates.
The changes also pointed to some of the career officials who have greater authority and institutional experience. At least four of the section chiefs of the Environment Division (almost half of its total) were reallocated last week to a newly created working group focused on pursuing the so -called sanctuary cities that do not cooperate with the application of laws of immigration as much as the new administration would like.
Most of the senior officials who have been reallocated to immigration issues have little or no legal experience in the field, since they have dedicated their legal careers to other issues, such as environmental law. They were told that their salary would remain unchanged and that they had up to 15 days to accept the transfer or face the possibility of being fired.
Some of the measures that are being taken in the department (such as the reallocation of the head of the Public Integrity Section or a senior official in charge of national security investigations) are not entirely surprising. Trump has made clear his disgust by the Department of Justice and the FBI for his criminal investigations and his allies, referring to them over the years as “slag.”
But in the case of some of the reallocations, the career officials of the Department of Justice find it difficult to discern a reason, apart from dismissing people whose legal opinions have a great weight in the building.
Some members of the Justice Department personnel question whether decisions violate the employment rules in the public function, particularly in the case of four senior office officials who handle immigration cases. These people were fired flat, according to several people familiar with the matter they spoke on condition of anonymity to publicly discuss personnel issues.
Current and previous officials of the Department of Justice described the rapid changes as heartbreaking for those affected. Last week, several people described discussions in tears with colleagues who suddenly were forced to consider whether to renounce, demand or accept their new position.
Some members of the division consider that the reallocation of high -level environmental lawyers effectively decapitates their leadership structure and demoralizes officials who remain, according to people familiar with the changes that spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Andrew Mergen, who retired in 2023 after more than three decades in the division, said that although sometimes the senior officials were reorganized under previous administrations, it was “more a prerogative of the direction than a kind of great political movement.” So nothing similar has happened. ”
He said he was concerned that the measures could move away the institutional experience of the department.
“All who were there the day Trump arrived had made the decision to work at the Trump administration and do their best,” said Mergen, warning about the consequences if there were an exodus of career officials. “It will be a loss for the country if these people leave and if other lawyers from the Department of Justice leave.”
A spokesman for the Environment Division declined to comment.
Reassignments in the Department of Justice have been addressed to members of the Higher Executive Service, the upper step of career employees, which are directly served for the designated politicians in the agencies. According to the Office of Management and Budget, these employees “are the main link between these designated and the rest of the Federal Labor Force”, because “they operate and supervise almost all government activities in approximately 75 federal agencies.”
David M. Uhlmann, who was head of the application of the Environmental Law at the Environmental Protection Agency during the Biden Administration, said that simply dismissing those bosses “will not stop government work”, because their attachments can assume their responsibilities. Responsibilities
But he stressed the Trump administration approach towards environmental regulation, he said. “The message he sends is that the Trump administration does not intend to hold pollutants responsible and does not worry about protecting communities from harmful contamination,” said Uhlmann.
The division was also affected by Trump’s executive order that prohibits initiatives for diversity, equity and inclusion. While it has none, a small environmental justice office dates back to a Executive order issued under the Clinton administration that aims to address pollution and health risks that minority and low -income communities disproportionately experienced.
After Trump revoked that executive order in recent days, he was told to the division that he could not make any extent that his goals had advanced. And, like others involved in initiatives that promote diversity throughout the government, the career employees of the division who worked for the Environmental Justice Office have been placed on administrative license, according to people familiar with the measures, who spoke under Fear anonymity condition. of retaliation.
As part of the administration initiative to freeze hiring in all agencies, the Department of Justice also rescinds job offers for its honors program. And like other agencies, the department has been asked to present a list of all employees in the test period to the White House, that is, those who have not yet served enough time in their functions and, therefore, , they still do not have the right to the total protection of the laws of the public service.
It is not clear what the officials plan to do with the list, but the application has generated concern that it leads to the massive dismissal of relatively new hiring.
Lisa Friedman contributed reports.
By
