Thousands of former DOJ staffers are calling out President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi for “irreversible damage” to the department.
Since Trump returned to office in January, nearly 5,500 employees have left through buyouts, resignations, or firings. Many used their farewell notes to describe a “toxic work environment.” They say the job has become unrecognizable compared to previous years.
The Justice Connection, a group of FBI alumni and former DOJ personnel, gathered these internal messages and shared their findings with Axios. Employees say the department’s traditional safeguards have been pushed aside. They claim politics now influences decisions that were once free from partisan pressure.
Stacey Young, Executive Director of The Justice Connection, clearly expressed these concerns, writing that workers are being asked to “put loyalty to the President over the Constitution, the rule of law, and their professional ethical obligations.” Her message reflects what many current and former employees have shared privately about feeling trapped between performing their duties and maintaining harmony with top leadership.
Some of the strongest criticism came from three assistant U.S. attorneys who refused to drop corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams. In a joint farewell statement, they accused DOJ leadership of prioritizing submission over judgment. They wrote that the department has “decided that obedience supersedes all else.”
#BREAKING: Lawrence: “A new report in the New York Times interviewing 60 DOJ officials who have been fired or forced to resign by Donald Trump, contains this quote from former DOJ official Dina Robinson: ‘I wouldn’t even call it the justice department anymore. It has become… pic.twitter.com/lpeLTUWwi8
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They reminded their colleagues of why they entered public service. “There is no greater privilege than to work for an institution whose mandate is to do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons,” they said. “We will not abandon this principle to keep our jobs.”
Other departing employees expressed similar frustrations, mentioning sudden changes in charging decisions, inconsistent instructions from senior officials, and increasing pressure to align cases with politics. Many said the cultural shift within the DOJ happened quickly and without explanation, leaving longtime staff unsure of how to carry out basic responsibilities.
One departing attorney noted that the department had previously prided itself on operating based on facts and legal standards rather than political cues. Several others mentioned that the atmosphere has become tense and unpredictable, with experienced prosecutors leaving faster than they can be replaced.
The Justice Connection stated that it published the farewell messages to document what former staffers are experiencing, not to make political statements. However, the tone of the letters show how deeply unsettled people within the department feel about its current direction with the Trump administration.
The turnover has impacted entire teams as veteran prosecutors with decades of knowledge are leaving in the middle of cases, while new hires with little federal experience are stepping into roles typically held by career staff. Many letters caution that this level of turnover cannot continue without compromising the department’s everyday work.
The messages describe a DOJ that has become different from the one they joined. The former staffers who wrote them provide a rare insight into how the department operates under Trump and Bondi, and why so many are choosing to leave.
