Al
Drago/Bloomberg
via
Getty
Images
There
was
a
time
when
the
Department
of
Justice
operated
in
isolation
from
political
whims.
That
era
appears
to
be
officially
over.
Welcome
to:
The
Rule
of
Law,
sponsored
by
Donald
Trump!
A
massive
new
banner
now
hangs
at
DOJ
headquarters,
featuring
a
glowering
image
of
Donald
Trump
looming
over
the
words
“MAKE
AMERICA
SAFE
AGAIN.”
It’s
the
kind
of
visual
you
expect
outside
a
rally
or
pasted
onto
merch,
not
installed
at
the
nation’s
chief
law
enforcement
agency.
And
yet,
here
we
are,
marinating
in
what
can
only
be
described
as
peak
authoritarian
aesthetic.
If
you
were
worried
that
Trump’s
second-term
takeover
of
the
DOJ
might
still
have
some
guardrails,
the
banner
is
here
to
reassure
you
nope!
Early
in
Trump’s
second
term,
Attorney
General
Pam
Bondi
rebranded
the
Department
of
Justice
into
what
can
only
be
described
as
Trump’s
personal
law
firm.
Under
her
direction,
DOJ
has
advanced
paper-thin
cases
against
Trump’s
political
and
personal
enemies
like
James
Comey,
Letitia
James,
and
John
Bolton
while
conveniently
redefining
“prosecutorial
discretion”
to
mean
“whatever
the
boss
wants
today.”
And
this
banner
is
a
full-volume
declaration
that
DOJ
now
exists
to
serve
one
man
and
his
brand.
A
fact
folks
are
noticing.
Former
Rep.
Barbara
Comstock
summed
it
up
with
brutal
efficiency,
“Nothing
says
Justice
is
Blind
like
hanging
a
Dear
Leader
Banner
at
DOJ…”
Republican
strategist
Sarah
Longwell
was
even
less
restrained,
saying,
“Can’t
imagine
why
people
call
him
a
fascist.”
Former
George
W.
Bush
speechwriter
David
Frum
put
a
finer
point
on
it,
“The
Trump
DoJ
is
a
pure
creature
of
presidential
whim,
retribution,
and
cover-up
—
so
this
banner
has
the
virtue
of
candor
at
least.”
Ouch.
And
that
criticism
is
coming
from
Trump’s
own
party.
The
banner
also
arrives
amid
an
ongoing
brain
drain
at
the
department,
as
career
attorneys
continue
to
flee
rather
than
lend
their
law
licenses
to
what
increasingly
looks
like
a
grievance
machine
with
subpoena
power.
When
the
message
from
leadership
is
that
loyalty
to
Trump
matters
more
than
fidelity
to
the
law,
the
people
who
still
care
about
the
latter
tend
to
head
for
the
exits.
Symbols
matter,
particularly
to
authoritarian
regimes.
And
plastering
the
visage
of
Trump
with
a
cult-of-personality
slogan
over
the
headquarters
of
federal
law
enforcement
is
a
disturbing
image
to
say
the
least.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].