In new letter to DOJ, Whitehouse sounds the alarm on the Trump administration’s weakening of anti-corruption efforts
Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights, sent a letter today to Attorney General Pam Bondi requesting information about the Department of Justice’s dismantling of its Public Integrity Section.
“Any move that further weakens the Public Integrity Section would signal that the Trump Department of Justice intends not to protect the American people against corruption. Created in response to Watergate, the Public Integrity Section exists to ensure that the Department of Justice fairly and thoroughly investigates corruption by government officials at the federal, state, and local level without regard to those officials’ political views or allegiances. This Section has steadfastly pursued justice against both Republicans and Democrats,” wrote Whitehouse.
According to reporting from the Associated Press, the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section has been slashed from 30 prosecutors to roughly five since the end of the Biden administration. Prosecutors who remain in the unit have been told their work will be transferred to U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country. The Department’s gutting of the Public Integrity Section is the latest in a series of Trump administration actions to thwart anti-corruption police work.
“In less than three months since President Trump took office, the Department of Justice has taken multiple overt steps to undermine the fight against corruption at home and abroad. The Department has disbanded anti-kleptocracy working groups dedicated to combatting foreign corruption linked with drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations, halted nearly all enforcement of a law prohibiting bribery of foreign officials by U.S. companies, and limited the scope of another law requiring the registration of lobbyists for foreign countries. Additionally, President Trump has pardoned one former governor convicted of trying to sell a U.S. Senate seat and a former state senator convicted of illegally using campaign funds.[1] If the Trump administration’s goal was to encourage corruption and abuse of office, it is hard to know what it would do differently,” continued Whitehouse.
Whitehouse has been dogged in exposing the corruption of the Trump administration. Earlier this month, Whitehouse sent a letter to Attorney General Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel about misusing law enforcement ‘to humor President Trump’s vindictive political whims.’ Last month, Whitehouse and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) filed ethics complaints against Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove for violating ethics rules in a corrupt deal to dismiss a federal indictment against NYC Mayor Eric Adams. Also last month, Whitehouse sent a letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles demanding answers on the legality of the appointment of right-wing billionaire Elon Musk to head the “Department of Government Efficiency.” Additionally, Whitehouse sent a letter to Attorney General Bondi about the disbanding of the Department of Justice’s Task Force KleptoCapture, the Kleptocracy Team, and the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative.
The text of today’s letter is below and a PDF is available here.
March 20, 2025
The Honorable Pam Bondi
Attorney General of the United States
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20530
Dear Attorney General Bondi:
I write to urge you to abandon reported efforts to “slash” the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section by reassigning its career prosecutors and eliminating its ability to oversee investigations or prosecutions.[2] Any move that further weakens the Public Integrity Section would signal that the Trump Department of Justice intends not to protect the American people against corruption.
Created in response to Watergate, the Public Integrity Section exists to ensure that the Department of Justice fairly and thoroughly investigates corruption by government officials at the federal, state, and local level without regard to those officials’ political views or allegiances. This Section has steadfastly pursued justice against both Republicans and Democrats, including securing a bribery conviction against a former Democratic United States Senator during the Biden administration.
As a former U.S. Attorney who prosecuted these kinds of cases, I know the importance of U.S. Attorneys around the country who put politics aside and follow the facts when a government official is suspected of breaking the law.
Certain political appointees in this Department of Justice have already proven they put President Trump’s political interests over their duties as prosecutors and as lawyers. Multiple Public Integrity Section attorneys resigned rather than endorse then-Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove’s unethical quid pro quo in dropping the case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.[3] Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin reportedly abandoned a baseless attempt to open a grand jury investigation into Senator Chuck Schumer for political speech only after other Justice Department officials “rebuffed” him.[4] He appears to have also manufactured a pretextual criminal case in order to freeze and seize billions of dollars belonging to private groups.[5]
In less than three months since President Trump took office, the Department of Justice has taken multiple overt steps to undermine the fight against corruption at home and abroad. The Department has disbanded anti-kleptocracy working groups dedicated to combatting foreign corruption linked with drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations, halted nearly all enforcement of a law prohibiting bribery of foreign officials by U.S. companies, and limited the scope of another law requiring the registration of lobbyists for foreign countries. Additionally, President Trump has pardoned one former governor convicted of trying to sell a U.S. Senate seat and a former state senator convicted of illegally using campaign funds.[6] If the Trump administration’s goal was to encourage corruption and abuse of office, it is hard to know what it would do differently.
Attorney General Edward Levi established the Public Integrity Section to restore the public’s confidence that the Department of Justice would root out—not enable—corruption in the United States. You should not allow the Department to renege on this promise under your leadership. In the absence of such a commitment, I request a briefing as soon as possible on any plans to restructure or restaff the Public Integrity Section, including any intended changes to Department policies related to the Public Integrity Section and its role in consulting on all investigations involving Members of Congress and congressional staff.
Sincerely,
[1] Julie Bosman, Trump Pardons Rod Blagojevich, the Former Illinois Governor, N.Y. Times (Feb. 10, 2025), https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/us/politics/rod-blagojevich-trump-pardon.html; Jonathan Mattise, Ex-Tennessee lawmaker announces pardon from Trump 2 weeks into prison time, ABC News (Mar. 12, 2025), https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/tennessee-lawmaker-announces-trumps-pardon-2-weeks-prison-119714730.
[2] Alanna Durkin Richer & Eric Tucker, Justice Department is expected to slash public corruption unit, AP sources say, AP News (Mar. 11, 2025), https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-public-corruption-unit-cuts-4123347b1ffe4a0f3c681e49a15ab4ca.
[3] William K. Rashbaum et al., Order to Drop Adams Case Prompts Resignations in New York and Washington, N.Y. Times (Feb. 13, 2025), https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/nyregion/danielle-sassoon-quit-eric-adams.html.
[4] Glenn Thrush, U.S. Attorney Rebuffed by Justice Dept. in Push to Escalate Inquiry Into Schumer, N.Y. Times (Mar. 3, 2025), https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/03/us/politics/us-attorney-justice-dept-schumer-inquiry.html.
[5] Letter from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse to Hon. Pam Bondi, Attorney General of the United States, & Hon. Kash Patel, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation 2 (Mar. 11, 2025), https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2025-03-11-Letter-to-DOJ-and-FBI-re-Greenhouse-Gas-Reduction-Fund.pdf.
[6] Julie Bosman, Trump Pardons Rod Blagojevich, the Former Illinois Governor, N.Y. Times (Feb. 10, 2025), https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/us/politics/rod-blagojevich-trump-pardon.html; Jonathan Mattise, Ex-Tennessee lawmaker announces pardon from Trump 2 weeks into prison time, ABC News (Mar. 12, 2025), https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/tennessee-lawmaker-announces-trumps-pardon-2-weeks-prison-119714730.
