As
the
Department
of
Justice
continues
hemorrhaging
Assistant
U.S.
Attorneys,
the
administration
has
put
out
a
call
for
new
recruits.
And
it’s
one
step
above
scribbling
on
the
bathroom
wall.
It’s
been
a
rough
year
for
the
DOJ.
Having
kicked
off
the
Trump
administration
by
reorienting
the
venerable
institution
as
Trump’s
personal
law
firm,
morale
cratered
and
attrition
began
taking
a
toll.
Whether
it’s
asking
dedicated
public
servants
to
drop
corruption
cases
as
part
of
a
corrupt
political
bargain
or
sign
off
on
baseless
prosecutions
of
Trump’s
enemies,
AUSAs
across
the
country
keep
deciding
enough
is
enough.
Historically,
the
Department
of
Justice
sits
on
a
mile
high
stack
of
resumes
submitted
by
eager
young
lawyers
hoping
to
nab
one
of
the
most
prestigious
jobs
in
law.
Apparently
that
pipeline
has
run
dry,
because
the
DOJ
is
now
begging
for
help
on
social
media.
Elon
Musk’s
X…
it’s
not
just
for
AI-generated
sexual
exploitation
anymore!
They’re
trying
to
staff
the
Department
of
Justice
like
they’re
putting
together
an
adult
kickball
team.
Just
slide
into
Mizelle’s
DMs
with
a
quick
“feeling
cute,
might
lie
to
a
tribunal
later”
and
see
where
it
takes
you!
For
what
its
worth,
Mizelle
left
his
job
as
the
Justice
Department’s
Chief
of
Staff
in
the
fall,
so
it’s
not
clear
why
he’d
have
the
authority
to
hire
anyone.
Maybe
using
a
former
DOJ
leader
for
this
ask
is
a
way
for
the
Department
to
maintain
plausible
deniability.
On
that
note
“plausible
deniability”
might
be
refrain
we
hear
a
lot
from
this
DOJ
in
coming
years.
In
a
fitting
touch
of
competence,
Mizelle’s
DMs
weren’t
even
open
when
he
posted
this.
A
user
pointed
this
out
and
Mizelle
responded
with
a
brisk
“Fixed!”
It’s
a
level
of
attention
to
detail
that
sums
up
exactly
why
the
DOJ
is
hurting
for
recruits.
Fun
fact:
this
desperate
social
media
recruitment
drive
landed
immediately
after
Mizelle’s
ethics
complaint
against
Judge
James
Boasberg
collapsed
spectacularly.
Chief
Judge
Jeffrey
Sutton
of
the
Sixth
Circuit
dismissed
the
misconduct
complaint
in
part
because
Mizelle
based
it
on
an
alleged
non-public
statement
by
Judge
Boasberg
that
he
never
bothered
to
provide
the
Court.
When
Judge
Sutton
gave
him
an
opportunity
to
correct
the
oversight…
Mizelle
just
ghosted.
Crackerjack
lawyering!
So
now
Mizelle
is
bypassing
Craigslist
and
heading
straight
to
Twitter,
seeking
out
the
next
generation
of
legal
minds
who
will
presumably
also
struggle
with
the
whole
“attaching
evidence
to
filings”
thing.
“Patriots
needed”
is
a
cool
Fiverr
pitch
for
an
administration
on
the
lookout
for
a
JD
who
knows
at
least
two
easter
eggs
from
Mein
Kampf.
The
brain
drain
at
DOJ
has
gotten
so
severe
that
the
administration
is
now
sending
military
lawyers
to
serve
as
federal
prosecutors.
Posse
Comitatus
never
really
contemplated
the
domestic
deployment
of
the
JAG
corps.
Military
lawyers
practice
under
their
own
bespoke
code,
which
doesn’t
necessarily
translate
to
enforcing
federal
criminal
law.
It’s
like
your
estranged
uncle
calling
and
asking,
“you’re
a
lawyer,
right?”
but
with
the
highest
stakes
imaginable.
This
is
what
happens
when
you
try
to
“flood
the
zone.”
It’s
the
same
mentality
that’s
got
the
administration
using
AI
to
write
transportation
regulations
and
arresting
journalists
under
the
KKK
Act.
At
some
point,
“flooding
the
zone”
just
means
drowning
yourself.
You
can
only
spread
so
thin
before
you
run
out
of
people
willing
to
do
your
bidding.
McCarthy
is
a
conservative
talking
head
exhibiting
a
level
of
“principle
over
politics”
that
Jonathan
Turley
could
never.
Still,
one
must
ask,
“where
was
he
before
this?”
One
could
have
issued
this
call,
for
instance,
WHEN
THE
ATTORNEY
GENERAL
STARTED
CALLING
THE
DOJ
TRUMP’S
PERSONAL
LAWYERS.
That
was
a
whole
year
ago.
Shouldn’t
that
have
been
enough
to
sound
this
warning?
Somewhere
out
there,
there’s
an
unemployed
Federalist
Society
alum
sitting
in
a
pile
of
empty
Chick-fil-A
wrappers
and
Antonin
Scalia
prayer
candles
who
will
leap
at
the
opportunity
to
be
a
right-wing
DEI
hire,
filling
a
job
they
couldn’t
sniff
under
normal
circumstances.
They’ll
put
in
their
time,
collect
the
LinkedIn
line
item,
and
carry
it
with
them
going
forward.
If
they’re
lucky,
enough
time
will
pass
that
everyone
will
assume
their
time
at
the
Department
reflects
their
credentials
as
an
attorney
and
not
their
reputation
as
a
“needed
Patriot.”
Fascism
curious
attorneys
hope
that
chaos
is
a
ladder.
Hopefully
they
will
not
be
so
lucky.
If
we
all,
as
a
profession,
keep
our
eye
on
the
ball,
there
will
be
a
reckoning.
Any
lawyer
breaching
the
basic
rules
of
the
profession
to
further
this
administration’s
legal
outrages
should
face
ethical
scrutiny.
And
unlike
Mizelle,
we’re
smart
enough
to
attach
the
exhibits
to
our
ethics
complaints.
“Just
following
orders”
should
not
cut
it.
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
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Follow
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