The Complete Degradation and Corruption of the DOJ

Three cheers to U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema after she blocked Donald Trump from stealing $1.8 billion of our money for his private slush fund.

On June 12, Brinkema converted her temporary block into a full preliminary injunction — extending the freeze indefinitely and ordering Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to submit sworn declarations, under penalty of perjury, that the Fund will not be established. Trump can't begin transferring money to the Fund, consider any claims submitted to it, or disburse any funds from it. (CNBC)

This all began when Donald Trump sued his own government because they "leaked" his tax returns. Those released documents showed not only that Trump was an appalling CEO, but that he was using massive losses to pay a minuscule amount in taxes.

Trump then sued and came within a hair's breadth of having a slush fund to use taxpayer money – our money – to compensate whoever he wants indiscriminately.

That these people call this pile of stolen money 'The Anti-Weaponization Fund' — with abject dishonesty — is almost a fitting title for an administration that uses the vast resources of the federal government to attack, intimidate, and bully its enemies. Trump has made it clear that he doesn't forget an insult. That he will never forgive. And that, if you incur his wrath, he'll move heaven and earth to destroy you by any means necessary.

These people are living proof that no one is safe. And these are just the people with large platforms and funds available to stand up for themselves.

E. Jean Carroll

We often forget that Donald Trump is a rapist. A fact a court established, and one Trump is desperately trying to erase from history.

In 2019, journalist and columnist E. Jean Carroll sued Trump for sexual abuse and defamation. She won more than $88 million in two civil judgments, which Trump hasn't paid.

Now, Trump and the DOJ are pursuing Carroll for perjury over a statement she gave in 2022 in which she incorrectly said she hadn't received outside funding for her civil lawsuits. A federal appeals court already concluded in 2024 that there was no evidence the misstatement was intentional — Carroll may have simply forgotten. Notably, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois has publicly denied opening an investigation, suggesting friction even within Trump's own Justice Department. One legal expert called it a case where "a conviction is just not going to happen." (Vox, CNN)

But a conviction isn't the point. Trump has been accused of sexually assaulting 27 women. He needs to make a show of Carroll as dramatically and pointlessly as possible. Trump couldn't beat Carroll in court the first time. Now, with a compliant Justice Department willing to engage in blatant abuses of power, he feels free to bring as many preposterous cases against his enemies as he wishes.

James Comey

Have you ever been indicted because of an Instagram post? James Comey has.

The image in question showed seashells arranged to read "86 47" — meaning, to get rid of Trump, the 47th president. For most of us, “getting 86ed” means getting kicked out of a restaurant because you’re being too loud and disruptive. But at a press conference, Attorney General Todd Blanche preposterously argued it constituted a threat against the president.

Ever since Comey refused to give Trump a loyalty oath, Trump has been itching for revenge. A previous lawsuit accusing Comey of lying to a Senate Judiciary Committee fell apart when it was revealed that lead prosecutor Lindsey Halligan had been illegally appointed and wasn't permitted to present evidence. Judge Currie ruled that "all actions flowing from Ms. Halligan's defective appointment... were unlawful exercises of executive power." (CBS)

The current case is already in trouble too, with lead prosecutor Matthew Petracca removed — and more than half a dozen additional prosecutors demoted or pushed out of the Eastern District of Virginia over the fallout from pursuing it. As Petracca himself said of Trump's fixation: "There's an obsession there." (PBS, Washington Post)

Letitia James

New York Attorney General Letitia James hit Trump where it hurt most — winning her case against the Trump Organization and exposing decades of financial fraud. The result: Trump and defendants ordered to pay more than $450 million, and Trump banned from serving as an officer or director of any New York company for three years.

James declared, "While he may have authored the 'Art of the Deal,' our case revealed that his business was based on the art of the steal." (AGNY.gov)

Trump's revenge came in the form of a mortgage fraud lawsuit. Like the Comey case, it collapsed due to Halligan's defective appointment. But Trump doesn't do endings. In March 2026, FHFA Director Bill Pulte referred James to federal prosecutors in Miami and Chicago for alleged homeowner's insurance fraud — a new set of charges, a new jurisdiction, and the same message: the small angry man at the top demands his vengeance. (CBS News, Mortgage Professional America)

John Bolton

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton served during Trump's first term, and his 2020 memoir The Room Where It Happened described Trump as someone who didn't understand "critically important subjects" among several other critical remarks. This brought fury from Trump and Kash Patel, now Trump’s FBI Director, who published a political enemies list naming John Bolton as a target (New Republic).

Then, in October 2025, they made good on going after their enemies list when John Bolton was forced to surrender to federal authorities after being handed an 18-count indictment alleging he mishandled classified information in his personal writings. By June 2026, that sprawling case had collapsed to a single count: Bolton agreed to plead guilty to retaining classified information written in private diary entries. He is expected to pay a $2.25 million fine and avoid prison. A change-of-plea hearing is scheduled for June 26 before U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang. (CNN)

Not only does this stink of political persecution, but it is rife with hypocrisy. Recall that Donald Trump was criminally indicted on 37 felony counts — including violations of the Espionage Act — for stealing hundreds of actual classified documents and storing them in a bathroom, a shower, a ballroom, and a storage room at Mar-a-Lago, a private club open to dues-paying members and their guests. Former FBI and CIA officials described Mar-a-Lago as arguably "the worst counterintelligence nightmare the country has faced since the Cold War," and federal authorities opened an investigation into possible Chinese intelligence operations there in 2019 (Newsweek).

Six Democratic Members of Congress

In November 2025, Senators Elissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly, and Representatives Maggie Goodlander, Jason Crow, Chrissy Houlahan, and Chris DeLuzio posted a video reminding military members that it is their duty to disobey illegal orders. Each served in the armed forces and so were themselves taught that it is the duty of military officers to disobey illegal orders.

Trump called them "traitors" and said their behavior was "punishable by death." The video was released in response to Pete Hegseth and Trump targeting fishing boats in Latin America — a potential Geneva Convention violation.

Hegseth censured Kelly, threatening to reduce his pension after 20 years of service and pursue criminal prosecution. Kelly sued, and a federal judge blocked the censure in February 2026, ruling it was unconstitutionally retaliatory. The administration appealed, and a three-judge panel at the DC Circuit spent more than an hour and a half throwing cold water on the government's arguments. Judge Nina Pillard noted that what the members said "is something that is taught at Annapolis to every cadet." (CNN)

Meanwhile, the DOJ attempted to bring criminal charges against all six members before a grand jury. The jury refused. Not a single juror found the government had even met the low bar of probable cause. Zero. Slotkin's lawyer declared simply: "The grand jury has spoken." (NBC News, Colorado Sun)

No One Is Above the Law

All these cases fell apart because we are lucky. In part because Trump and his cronies lack the cognitive capacity to succeed in any of their corrupt gambits. But more importantly, for now, some guardrails still remain.

But for how much longer?

Trump and this Congress are handing out lifetime judicial appointments at an alarming pace. The DOJ, Pentagon, and Federalist Society are in Trump's pocket. These appointees no longer meet standards any credible rule of law organization would uphold, and they appear more like right-wing political operatives than judges. The status of the American people’s rights and protection under the law is in serious peril.

This corruption needs to be exposed, fought, and conquered. The only way to do that is to become unstoppable, undeniable, and unruled.

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By the Unruled Masses Communications Team

The Unruled Masses Communications Team is a multidisciplinary team of communications professionals, digital strategists, policy analysts, and content creators dedicated to translating complex investigations into compelling public narratives. Specializing in investigative storytelling, accountability journalism, strategic communications, and hopeful community building, our team bridges the gap between rigorous research and public understanding.

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The Complete Degradation and Corruption of the DOJ

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