Trump’s DOJ Shifts Power to Political Appointees, Bypassing Career Officials in Major Overhaul

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Amanda Austin
February 17, 2025
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Left: U.S. President Donald Trump pauses as he talks to journalists who are members of the White house travel pool on board Air Force One during his flight to Palm Beach, Florida while over South Carolina, U.S., February 3, 2017. Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters

In a significant break from past practices, the Trump Department of Justice (DOJ) has reassigned key decision-making powers over ethics, employee discipline, and government disclosures to politically appointed newcomers, according to a report by Bloomberg Law on Sunday.

The report reveals that the DOJ has stripped these responsibilities from a long-standing senior career official and handed them instead to two political appointees, including a former defense lawyer for Trump and a recent law school graduate.

“Trump Justice Department has assigned politically appointed newcomers decision-making power over sensitive matters, including ethics, employee discipline, and release of information sought by inspectors general and Congress, stripping these authorities from the longstanding oversight of a senior career official,” Bloomberg Law reported.

The move was formalized in a January 27 memo issued by Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, which was obtained by Bloomberg Law. The memo states that these newly appointed officials will now oversee a wide range of professional responsibility matters that had traditionally been handled by the DOJ’s highest-ranking career official.

Among their new powers, the report states, “two political appointees will be able to make final determinations on ‘adverse personnel actions and bar referral matters,’ ethics recusals and waivers, nominee financial disclosures, and a variety of other delicate professional responsibility decisions.”

In a further expansion of their authority, the political appointees will also be responsible for whistleblower complaints from the Office of Special Counsel, inspector general requests for grand jury material, and disclosures to Congress—including asserting privilege or responding to subpoenas.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally Sunday in Las Vegas. (John Locher/AP)

Legal experts warn that shifting these responsibilities away from career officials to political appointees could pose serious risks, potentially undermining the DOJ’s independence. The report highlights concerns that such changes could leave the department vulnerable to scandals similar to the controversy surrounding Bove’s handling of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ case.

Instead of maintaining the previous structure, the memo states that these powers will now reside with Jordan Fox and Kendra Wharton. “Fox, who is Bove’s chief of staff and former law firm colleague, is a 2021 graduate of Seton Hall University Law School,” the report explains.

“Wharton is an associate deputy attorney general who graduated law school in 2014 and previously worked at the same law firm as Todd Blanche, Trump’s nominee to be deputy attorney general. Wharton went on to join Blanche and Bove on Trump’s defense team, serving in a more junior capacity in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case.”

The decision to hand such significant legal oversight to individuals with close ties to Trump, particularly those with little DOJ experience, has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest. With key ethical and legal matters now controlled by political appointees rather than career professionals, the DOJ’s impartiality may face increased scrutiny in the months ahead.