1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is being weaponized for apparent partisan purposes to target President Trump's political opponents, subverting its role to uphold equal justice under the law. Special attorneys with glaring conflicts of interest and dubious qualifications have been empaneled to investigate New York Attorney General Letitia James based on spurious allegations. These actions appear retaliatory after James successfully prosecuted Trump and his businesses for financial fraud. The appointment of a MAGA activist like Ed Martin to probe James represents an egregious breach of DOJ norms against partisan enforcement of laws. Obscuring the well-established facts around James's real estate transactions and ginning up meritless criminal referrals smacks of the same playbook used against Democratic governors during the pandemic. This disturbing pattern of the DOJ being deployed as a political cudgel to punish the president's adversaries undermines public faith in unbiased administration of justice. Allegations against James should be dispassionately evaluated based on evidence, not advanced through sham probes with predetermined conclusions. The DOJ's reputation and adherence to the rule of law are being severely compromised. Urgent measures must be taken to restore the principles of fair, non-partisan enforcement of laws and insulate the DOJ from further weaponization for the president's political vendettas.