US attorney general Pam Bondi on Wednesday ordered a review of the federal prosecution of Donald Trump as part of a series of directives to change policies at the justice department. The review will examine cases involving special counsel Jack Smith, including charges brought against Trump, as well as prosecutions related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
Bondi, who was sworn in earlier in the day at the White House, announced the formation of a “weaponization working group” to investigate cases that may have been politically motivated. The memo outlining the group’s role reflects Trump’s long-standing claim that the justice department under President Joe Biden was used against conservatives.
However, some of its investigations also focused on Biden and his son, and no evidence has shown that Trump’s prosecutions were politically motivated.
New directives for justice department
Bondi signed 14 directives aimed at reversing policies from the Biden administration. Among these was an order to lift the moratorium on the federal death penalty and stop federal grants to jurisdictions that “unlawfully interfere with federal law enforcement.”
The justice department will submit quarterly reports to the White House about the findings of the new review group. According to the memo, the group will look for cases where actions “appear to have been designed to achieve political objectives or other improper aims rather than pursuing justice.”
In another directive, Bondi said that justice department lawyers must support administration policies in legal cases. Prosecutors who refuse to sign legal briefs or argue cases on behalf of the administration could face dismissal.
Bondi’s confirmation and political concerns
Bondi’s appointment has raised concerns among some lawmakers about the independence of the justice department. Before becoming attorney general, Bondi was Florida’s attorney general and later defended Trump during his first impeachment trial.
Democrats who opposed her nomination questioned whether she could separate her role from the White House’s political interests. During her confirmation hearing, Bondi said politics would not influence her decisions. However, she did not rule out investigations into Trump’s political opponents and repeated Trump’s claim that his prosecutions were politically motivated.
“The justice department had been weaponized for years and years and years, and it’s got to stop,” Bondi said at the hearing.
Despite its broad scope, the new working group will not have prosecutorial powers or the ability to issue subpoenas. The review will also not include investigations into Democrats that were conducted by Biden’s justice department, including probes into Biden’s handling of classified documents and his son Hunter Biden’s legal cases. Hunter Biden was convicted of felony gun and tax charges before being pardoned by his father in December.
Trump’s legal cases and special counsel investigation
Jack Smith led the investigations into Trump’s handling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Both cases led to criminal charges, but after Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election, the indictments were dropped due to justice department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
Smith defended his work, saying that his team followed the law, not politics. “We stood up for the rule of law,” Smith said. In his final report to then-attorney general Merrick Garland, Smith wrote that the evidence was strong enough to convict Trump of attempting to overturn the 2020 election.
Bondi took the oath of office at the White House, sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas with Trump present. It was the first time Trump participated in a second-term swearing-in of a Cabinet member, showing his direct involvement in the operations of the justice department.
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