“I don’t feel I have to wipe everyone out, Tom, just my enemies.”—Michael Corleone, The Godfather
Note: I must pause my earlier commentary suggesting how to reduce Trump’s influence on our minds. Some things can’t be ignored.
The president had a busy week in his “March-to-the-Sea” agenda.
Last week, President Trump issued an executive order pausing all federal spending on grants and loans to review and realign financial assistance with his policies. The order caused confusion, was temporarily blocked by a federal judge, and rescinded within two days.
CFPB Director Rohit Chopra known for strict financial regulations and consumer protection efforts, was fired.
At least 17 Inspectors General were dismissed, tasked with investigating fraud, waste, abuse, and misconduct. The president is required to notify Congress 30 days in advance and provide reasons for the dismissals. Will Congress push back?
The January 6 prosecutors were fired for simply doing their jobs—holding accountable those who attacked the Capitol.
However, the most sweeping firings to date will be taking place at the FBI.
“‘Leaders of the FBI,” CNN reports “‘were instructed Friday to provide the Justice Department by Tuesday information about all current and former bureau employees who ‘at any time’ worked on January 6 investigations, according to an email from acting FBI director Brian Driscoll and obtained by CNN.
“‘This request,’ Driscoll wrote to all bureau personnel, ‘encompasses thousands of employees across the country who have supported these investigative efforts.’ The acting director noted in the email that such a list would also include him, as well as the acting deputy director.
“The email is attached to a memo from acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove titled ‘Termination’:
“For each employee included in the lists, provide the current title, office to which the person is assigned, role in the investigation or prosecution, and date of last activity relating to the investigation or prosecution,” Bove wrote. “Upon timely receipt of the requested information, the Office of the Deputy Attorney General will commence a review process to determine whether any additional personnel actions are necessary.”
“The FBI — including the Bureau’s prior leadership — actively participated in what President Trump appropriately described as ‘a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated on the American people over the last four years’ with respect to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021,” Bove said. (Let’s not forget that Trump pardoned 1,500 rioters—some whom pleaded guilty—for their actions on Trump’s “a day of love.”)
“Vice President JD Vance on Sunday defended President Trump’s controversial move to grant clemency to more than 1,500 people involved in the Jan. 6 riots, after saying he opposed pardons for violent offenders.” Excuse me, Senator, where were you safely hiding during the attack on the Capitol?
The most chilling part of a memo sent by James McHenry, the acting attorney general, to those losing their jobs, reads: “Given your significant role in prosecuting the President, I do not believe that the leadership of the Department can trust you to assist in implementing the President’s agenda faithfully.”
Let me repeat the key passage: “Assist in implementing the President’s agenda faithfully.”
Donald Trump has made it unmistakably clear that government officials—especially those charged with upholding the law, where independence from the executive branch has been honored in the past (with the exception of Richard Nixon)—will be expected to serve him, not the country. Loyalty to the law, to justice, or the Constitution is secondary—what matters is allegiance to Trump. Those who dared to investigate him, to hold him accountable, are being purged, not for incompetence or misconduct, but for doing their jobs.
These agents carry years of expertise, institutional knowledge, and trusted connections that can’t be replaced overnight. Removing them in the midst of ongoing investigations risks delaying critical cases for months, even years.
But the real danger isn’t just the delay—it’s who replaces them. If appointments are based on loyalty over qualifications, law enforcement stops being about justice and starts being about power. This isn’t leadership rooted in democratic principles. When loyalty to the law is replaced with loyalty to one man, justice is no longer blind; it’s under orders.
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