Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, led by Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-IL), have raised concerns about President Trump's $230 million settlement claims currently under review by the Department of Justice (DOJ). In a letter addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi, the senators questioned the legitimacy and ethics of these claims.
The letter describes the settlement claims as “yet another attempt by President Trump to weaponize his position of power for personal financial gain at the expense of American taxpayers.” The senators pointed out potential conflicts of interest within the DOJ, noting that officials responsible for approving such settlements, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Associate AG Stanley Woodward, previously defended Trump or his co-defendant in a classified documents case. They wrote: “Setting aside the lack of merit in President Trump’s claims, there is an inescapable conflict of interest in Trump Administration officials assessing these claims while serving at the President’s pleasure. Moreover, the officials who have the authority to approve such a settlement pursuant to DOJ regulations—Deputy Attorney General (AG) Todd Blanche and Associate AG Stanley Woodward—have an even more acute conflict of interest because they defended President Trump and his co-defendant, respectively, in the classified documents case.”
The senators also criticized recent changes within DOJ leadership regarding ethics oversight. They referenced the removal of senior career DOJ ethics officials and their replacement with political appointees. The letter states: “[A]s you know, the Trump Administration removed the senior career DOJ ethics officials who would provide this critical guidance and placed their duties in the hands of inexperienced political appointees who are beholden to you for their positions, an outrage we have repeatedly asked you to address to since February. Compounding this irresponsible move was the termination of Joseph W. Tirrell, the Director of DOJ’s Departmental Ethics Office, which provides advice on conflicts of interest, financial disclosures, and recusals to senior political appointees at DOJ, such as Deputy AG Blanche, Associate AG Woodward, and yourself. This followed the removal of another Department guardrail—the firing of the Director of the Office of Professional Responsibility, Jeffrey Ragsdale, who was the senior official of the office responsible for investigating DOJ attorney misconduct.”
In conclusion, Senate Democrats expressed concern over how these claims are being reviewed: “The American people deserve to understand how political appointees of the President whose claims they are assessing, including an appointee who previously defended the President in one of the matters at issue, can ethically assess the merits of his claims… As the American people grapple with the impacts of the Republican government shutdown, President Trump’s attempt to exploit the Justice Department and profit from taxpayer dollars cannot be overlooked.”
Other signatories include Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Adam Schiff (D-CA).
