Federal Law Enforcement — Week of Feb 10, 2025

During the week of February 10, 2025, the Trump administration took several actions that directly affected how federal law enforcement operates. President Trump signed an executive order pausing enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a longstanding anti-corruption law, and required that any future prosecutions under the law be personally approved by the Attorney General. The same day, Doug Collins was appointed to simultaneously lead two separate government watchdog offices — one that protects whistleblowers and one that monitors ethics violations.

This might matter because requiring political approval for each corruption prosecution may affect the independence of career federal prosecutors, which exists to ensure that enforcement decisions are based on evidence and law rather than political favor. Consolidating two oversight offices under one political appointee could similarly weaken the systems designed to hold government officials accountable.

In Congress, Senator Chuck Grassley — a Republican with a long record of defending government whistleblowers — disclosed allegations from whistleblowers claiming that Kash Patel, the nominee for FBI Director, was directing the firing of senior FBI officials before he was even confirmed, working through White House staff. Senator Durbin separately described significant removals of FBI and DOJ personnel, including mandatory surveys targeting those who investigated the January 6 Capitol breach.

There are alternative explanations worth considering. New presidents routinely change enforcement priorities, and the FCPA pause could reflect a legitimate policy disagreement about how the law affects American businesses abroad — not an effort to enable corruption. The administration has stated the pause serves national security and economic competitiveness goals. Centralized approval could also be intended to bring greater consistency to enforcement decisions. Transition-period personnel changes are also normal, and some removals may reflect standard realignment rather than political retaliation. However, the specificity of targeting — surveys focused on January 6 case involvement, an unconfirmed nominee allegedly directing terminations — goes beyond what typical transitions involve.

Limitations: Much of this week's evidence comes from congressional speeches, including by members of the opposition party, which carry an inherent adversarial perspective. Whistleblower claims have not been independently confirmed. Executive orders may be implemented differently than their text suggests.