Former U.S. Attorney Harry Litman on Monday spelled out how Justice Department staff are feeling ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
And it’s not good, he told CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe.
Multiple criminal cases against the president-elect have been tossed following his election victory over Democratic rival Kamala Harris, sentencing in his hush money case was postponed and Trump has picked loyalist Pam Bondi as attorney general after acolyte former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-Fla.) nomination fell through amid increased scrutiny over sexual misconduct allegations.
O’Keefe asked Litman, “What’s it like for the career attorneys at the Justice Department who see these cases falling apart? Are they demoralized by this, or are they kind of like, ‘Well, them’s the rules. We just gotta do what the rules say?’”
Litman said, “No, this is not a, ‘Them’s the rules as usual’ kind of situation.”
“You know, it’s not simply these cases falling apart, but the assertion of the power just from the president to make them fall apart and other things that are contemplated for the DOJ,” he added.
Litman highlighted “really demoralized career staff, people putting their resumes on the street, people being really afraid of what Trump’s entry will mean for the storied DOJ function of doing justice without fear or favor.”
“This is the worst crisis I’ve ever seen in DOJ history,” he added.
O’Keefe suggested it’s “exactly how the president-elect wants it to some extent.” “He’s trying to disrupt the federal government. Might as well start with the Justice Department,” he added.
Watch the full exchange here: