Pam Bondi’s legacy – the DOJ in shambles
Buddy Parker discusses the changes to the US DOJ enforcement of antifraud criminal laws and asks, “Does this really make America safe again?”
On February 5 last year, President Donald Trump welcomed attendees to the Oval Office in the White House: “Hello, everybody. This is a great honor and a real privilege. I’m thrilled to be here today with our Nation’s next incredible – and she will be incredible – Attorney General of the United States, Pam Bondi.”
The president continued, indicating that AG Bondi was “going to restore fair, equal, and impartial justice and restore the constitutional rule of law in America.” He said that she would be working “closely” with immigration authorities, and “Kash” Patel at the FBI. Associate Justice Clarence Thomas administered the oath of office.
Almost 14 months later, April 2, 2026, PBS reported on the AP’s announcement: “President Donald Trump says Pam Bondi is out as his attorney general, ending the contentious tenure of a loyalist who upended the Justice Department’s culture of independence from the White House, oversaw large-scale firings of career employees and moved aggressively to investigate the Republican president’s perceived enemies.”
The report continued: “Bondi oversaw the exodus of thousands of career employees – both through firings and voluntary departures – including lawyers who prosecuted violent attacks on police at the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021; environmental, civil rights and ethics enforcers; counter-terrorism prosecutors; and others.”
As will be shown below, “others” involved many who prosecuted “white-collar” crimes, including many types of federal frauds: tax, securities, bank, mail and wire frauds, etc.
Thousands depart DOJ
The US DOJ comprises two prosecuting units: “Main Justice” (located in Washington, DC) and United States Attorneys’ offices located throughout the country. In addition to the AG and other top DOJ officials, Main Justice houses various divisions of prosecutors (criminal, civil rights, tax, anti-trust, etc).
In an article dated November 19, 2025, The American Bar Association stated: “The Justice Department has lost thousands of experienced attorneys since the start of the Trump administration,” citing a claim that out of roughly 10,000 attorneys in DOJ and its components, including FBI “around 5,500 people – not all of them attorneys – have quit the department, been fired or taken a buyout offered by the Trump administration.”
At a local “white-collar” crime conference in March this year, the Trump-appointed and US Senate-confirmed Atlanta US Attorney admitted that over 50 prosecuting attorneys, including his most experienced “white-collar” prosecutors out of over 120 prosecutors, departed the Atlanta US Attorney’s Office shortly after Trump became president.
How the times have changed
On Friday May 8, I attended a “reunion” of Tax Division alumni held in Washington, having become a federal prosecutor in the Criminal Section, Tax Division (located in Main Justice) in 1978. I later transferred to Atlanta in 1983 as an Assistant US Attorney, remaining until 1997. From conversations at the “reunion” and having read prior reports, I relate the following.
Shortly after Pam Bondi became AG, over 300 attorneys were transferred, resigned, or terminated from the Tax Division, which afterward effectively had no attorney personnel. It was a shell. Approximately 40% of the attorneys departing from the DOJ either resigned or were fired.
The Tax Division was created by Congress to ensure national uniform application of the revenue laws, both criminal and civil. Today, there is no substantial structure of prosecutors dedicated to uniform enforcement of tax laws, including enforcement of the criminal tax evasion laws.
Those attorneys formerly in the Tax Division and remaining in the DOJ (who specialized in criminal tax fraud prosecutions) were first transferred to the Criminal Division, then to a “new DOJ division for national fraud enforcement” created in January 2026.
“Over the past 15 months, the DOJ has seen a record number of people leave the department and they’re having trouble filling [prosecutor] positions.”
Furthermore, in March 2026 President Trump signed an executive order establishing a task force to be operated from the White House, subject to the president’s direct supervision and control, focusing on exposing compliance and fraud schemes committed in state and local governments, as well as by contractors (military, healthcare) “and others.”
This Fraud Task Force is to “work closely” with the new DOJ Fraud Division. Meanwhile, reports suggest it’s unclear whether the DOJ has the ability to do much more given its attorney departures.
“Over the past 15 months, the DOJ has seen a record number of people leave the department and they’re having trouble filling [prosecutor] positions. Now, to demand whoever’s left at the DOJ stand up all these complex fraud cases – that’s a big ask,” said Scott Armstrong, a former federal prosecutor.
Per PBS, the AP reported in April 2026 that the FBI and Justice Department were “scrambling” to replenish a depleted workforce following a “wave” of departures.
Indeed, the DOJ has lowered hiring prerequisites for some federal prosecutors. Now, US Attorneys may hire recent law graduates with no experience practicing law. The DOJ recently admitted that it has lost nearly 1,000 Assistant US Attorneys.
At the “reunion” (aka “wake”) conversation among decades of experienced white-collar litigators, the focus was on the lack of any experience of the new prosecutorial hires, and the belief that it will take years for the DOJ to return to the previous competent, experienced prosecutorial level prior to Trump 2.0.
The bottom fell out
Recently, the Financial Times reported on an ABA Criminal Justice conference held in March, stating: “The Trump administration’s approach to justice has left many of [white-collar criminal defense lawyers] with the impression that, at least when it comes to the traditional white-collar enforcement they have spent their careers dealing with, there were ‘no cops on the beat right now.’”
The article noted: “There were fewer white-collar prosecutions in 2025 than any year since at least 1986 [ ]” – a time when there were far fewer regulations and compliance obligations. As a direct result of the large-scale resignations and firings not only of DOJ prosecutors, but also of FBI, IRS and “others,” the “bottom” of the white-collar criminal defense market “fell out” leaving many lawyers without sufficient work.
Bondi’s success
Former AG Pam Bondi successfully oversaw the intentional dismantling of the DOJ investigation and prosecutions of white-collar crimes, presumedly at the direction of the president who knows a thing or two about such crimes. The president’s direct involvement with the DOJ is unprecedented. In February AG Bondi authorized installing on the Main Justice building banners depicting President Trump and the phrase, “Make America Safe Again.” The photo shown is of the entrance to Main Justice at 9th St. and Pennsylvania where I entered (’78 – ’83) to work.
The US DOJ enforcement of antifraud criminal laws has been reduced. Does this really make America safe again?
