Proud to have worked with @edchungDC at @amprog and other DOJ alums on this blueprint for restoring DOJ. Top of the list: formalize limits on communications between DOJ and House. Read the full report here. americanprogress.org/issues/crimina…
Item 2 in our blueprint to restore DOJ: adopt clear, consolidated policy on election year activity. No more October surprises.
Item 3 in our blueprint for restoring DOJ: establish charging and sentencing policies free from politicization. No more Flynns and Stones.
Item 4 in our blueprint to restore DOJ: adopt a written policy regarding when DOJ will and won’t defend government policies. We can’t let DOJ be seen as an instrument of politics.
Item 5 in our blueprint to restore DOJ: restore trust to the criminal justice system by coordinating reform. Contrary to the views of AG Barr, there are too many Americans in prisons and jails for too long. DOJ can help.
Item 6 in our blueprint to restore DOJ: revive civil rights enforcement, which has been dormant for 3 ½ years. Shutdown of police pattern and practice cases has led to deaths and outrage.
Item 7 in our blueprint to restore DOJ: restore integrity and fairness in immigration proceedings. No more kids in cages.
Item 8 in our blueprint to restore DOJ: improve the FISA process. FISA is an important tool to protect national security, but it must be used with “scrupulous respect for civil liberties within the rule of law.”
Item 9 in our blueprint for restoring DOJ: restore productive congressional oversight. Oversight is a duty that promotes accountability in government. DOJ should promote transparency and trust in government, not help “fight all the subpoenas.”
Item 10 in our blueprint to restore DOJ: adopt better goals and metrics. Success should be measured by reductions in crime, not volume of arrests or number of wiretaps.
Item 11 in our blueprint for restoring DOJ: respect professionalism of career staff. The AG should not tolerate attacks on career employees from the president or overrule their decisions to benefit an ally of the president.
Finally, our blueprint to restore DOJ recommends ensuring a diverse workforce by casting a wide net to recruit talent with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. DOJ is more effective when it reflects the diversity of the people it serves.
And to restore public trust to DOJ, it is essential to have a leader with integrity. We can’t have an AG who, according to a federal judge, misleads and distorts the truth.
