U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, who serves as Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has led eight fellow Democrats from the committee in seeking answers from Attorney General Pam Bondi regarding what they describe as ongoing politicization of the Department of Justice (DOJ). Their concerns follow the forced resignation of Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Erik Seibert and the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey.
In a letter to AG Bondi, the senators requested information about investigations targeting individuals perceived as political opponents by President Trump. They also called for several DOJ officials and U.S. Attorneys to be made available for interviews with the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The resignation of Mr. Seibert reportedly came after he refused to pursue criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director Comey, despite pressure from both White House and DOJ leadership. According to news reports, Mr. Seibert left his position after being told he would be fired due to federal prosecutors declining to indict AG James on mortgage fraud allegations and recommending against charging Comey (https://abcnews.go.com/US/us-attorney-plans-resign-amid-pressure-trump-after/story?id=125750006;https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/19/trump-letitia-james-investigation-firing-00574047).
Following Seibert’s departure, Lindsey Halligan—described by lawmakers as a loyalist with no prior prosecutorial experience—was appointed Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Three days later, Comey was indicted (https://abcnews.go.com/US/former-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-days-after/story?id=125935658).
The senators’ letter states: “We write to express our alarm at the recent resignation of Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Erik Siebert after he refused to bring criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey. Mr. Siebert’s decision to resign after reportedly facing immense pressure from the White House and Department of Justice (DOJ) leadership—followed by the indictment of Director Comey by unqualified loyalist Acting U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan—are the latest steps in President Trump’s efforts to reshape the nation’s leading law enforcement agency into a weapon focused on punishing his enemies.”
Reports indicate that senior DOJ officials—including Ed Martin, head of a DOJ Weaponization Working Group—pressed Mr. Seibert over several months to pursue cases against those considered adversaries by President Trump (https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/19/trump-letitia-james-erik-siebert-virginia/). Other U.S. Attorneys have allegedly faced similar pressures or demands related to prosecutions or personnel changes within their offices (https://cardinalnews.org/2025/08/27/white-house-allegedly-pressured-gilbert-to-resign-as-u-s-attorney-in-dispute-over-personnel-is-that-normal/, https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/02/28/7-dc-prosecutors-demoted-trump).
The letter emphasizes that federal prosecutors are obligated under law to base indictments on facts rather than political considerations: “Prior to taking office, every federal prosecutor takes an oath to faithfully execute their duties… After nearly five months and over a dozen interviews, the Department has reportedly been unable to find sufficient evidence that Attorney General James committed a federal crime to bring an indictment.”
It further notes public statements made by President Trump calling AG James “guilty as hell” before any charges were filed and urging immediate action via social media (https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115239044548033727).
The senators argue that such actions risk undermining public trust in justice institutions: “While DOJ wastes resources chasing President Trump’s petty grievances, it is gaining the dubious reputation of pursuing cases with insufficient evidence and covering up reported corruption and criminal wrongdoing by the President’s supporters, donors, and Administration officials.” Recent reporting supports these claims with examples where cases involving administration allies were dropped or not pursued following intervention or staff changes at DOJ offices (https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/tom-homan-cash-contracts-trump-doj-investigation-rcna232568;https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/doj-dismisses-case-fat-brands-andy-widerhorn-fired-proseuctor-rcna221940).
In addition to requesting documents related to communications between various DOJ offices concerning high-profile investigations, Durbin and his colleagues have asked that multiple current officials—including Lindsey Halligan; Jeanine Pirro; Ed Martin; Jared Wise; Kelly O. Hayes; Justin R. Simmons; Bilal Essayli; Robert Tracci—be made available for questioning.
Joining Durbin in signing this request were Senators Sheldon Whitehouse, Amy Klobuchar, Chris Coons, Richard Blumenthal, Mazie Hirono, Cory Booker, Alex Padilla, and Peter Welch.
A copy of their full letter is available online.
