For our third iteration of In-House Opinions — letting Southland members of Congress have their say on some burning issues of the day — we surveyed 10 local electeds from the House of Representatives.
From the Inland Empire to the San Fernando Valley, from the South Bay down through the OC to North County San Diego, we are — contrary to national opinion about some kind of same-same California — an incredibly diverse region, with diverse representation in Congress.
Six of the 10 members responded. Rep. Jay Obernolte, Rep. Darrell Issa, Rep. Young Kim and Rep. Derek Tran. Obernolte has declined to answer three questions in a row.
We have a strong feeling that the main reason most of the Republican House members declined to make their views public is that our question went to a very controversial aspect of the Trump presidency. That question was:
“With the criminal prosecutions of former FBI Director James Comey, former National Security Advisor John Bolton and New York Attorney General Letitia James, and criminal probes of Sen. Adam Schiff and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, has the U.S. Justice Department become entirely politicized under President Trump? Are you confident that the DOJ is pursuing justice for just reasons?”
Even so, Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, weighed in: “The weaponization of the Justice Department under President Biden caused tremendous damage to the faith Americans had in our federal justice system. Biden’s DOJ, as well as Democrat prosecutors around the country, regularly targeted President Trump and his supporters for years. No one is above the law. Every prosecution is unique, but anyone charged by the DOJ under President Trump is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. I strongly support the DOJ enforcing the laws passed by Congress equally, regardless of the political beliefs of the individuals involved.”
Otherwise, it was all Democrats, including Rep. Laura Friedman: “Under Trump, the DOJ has gone from a non-partisan agency full of dedicated law enforcement agents to being led by lackeys that do Trump’s bidding to attack those who dare to stand up to his lawless administration. …. Without an impartial and independent DOJ, we cannot have a healthy democracy.”
Rep. Mike Levin: “The Justice Department has become politicized to an unprecedented level, with career lawyers leaving or being fired for refusing to pursue political show trials. Reports from former DOJ …. It appears that the Trump Administration is more interested in using the DOJ to pursue the President’s political rivals than to enforce our nation’s laws.”
Rep. Norma Torres: “The Justice Department is being weaponized by Donald Trump to punish his critics and protect his allies. When respected public servants and watchdogs who have challenged him suddenly find themselves under criminal investigation, it doesn’t look like justice, it looks like revenge. We’ve seen this same game in authoritarian countries in Central America and around the world, and it is un-American. … Americans deserve a DOJ that goes after real corruption and threats to our communities.”
Rep. Ted Lieu: “President Trump’s Department of Justice is run by hacks, sycophants, and malicious clowns. Just recently, Trump’s handpicked prosecutor for the James Comey case admitted to altering a court document without showing the grand jury, and she lied by telling the grand jury that Comey must prove his innocence. Trump has unmistakably turned the Department of Justice into an enforcement arm for his personal grievances, rather than an institution devoted to the rule of law. This is the same DOJ that extended inexplicable, preferential treatment to convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell. Instead of launching politically motivated prosecutions against the President’s perceived enemies, the Department should focus on protecting the public, not shielding predators, and catering to the whims of a lawless President.”
Rep. Dave Min: “Attorney General Pam Bondi has repeatedly and flagrantly violated the law and her ethical obligations as a lawyer to engage in politically motivated actions against Donald Trump’s political critics. Under her direction, the Department of Justice has become completely politicized. It is also important to note that we are now less safe because instead of pursuing drug traffickers or criminal gangs, the DOJ and FBI are focused on Trump’s political priorities, including allegedly scrubbing the Epstein Files and ginning up baseless indictments against Trump’s enemies list. That is why I have called for her to be disbarred.”