Under Donald Trump, the U.S. Department of Justice has become his personal law firm — a weapon aimed at his critics and rivals. The institution once known for impartiality now staggers under deceit. Judges who once trusted DOJ lawyers to tell the truth are questioning whether they can believe them at all.
This week, federal lawyers admitted they lied to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals about federal officer deployments in Portland, Oregon. They claimed 115 Federal Protective Service officers — “nearly a quarter” of the agency — were reassigned to Portland. In reality, there were only 86 total, and never more than 31 on site. Those false numbers helped justify deploying the Oregon National Guard for 60 days. The DOJ now says it “deeply regrets these errors,” but that regret came only after being caught.
And the Portland case is far from unique.
In the past 10 months, judges across the country have flagged the DOJ for false or highly-misleading sworn declarations and defiance of court orders. A whistle-blower reported senior officials telling staff to say “f*** you” to judges. Legal researchers found over 35 cases in 2025 where courts concluded the government provided “false or highly misleading information, including false sworn declarations.” These are not clerical mistakes — they reveal institutional decay unprecedented in modern times.
Meanwhile, Trump is purging career prosecutors, replacing them with political loyalists, and using prosecutions to target his enemies. Former U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance calls this “one of the most dangerous developments for democracy,” because it destroys the idea that law applies equally to everyone.
Congress must act now to restore integrity and accountability at the DOJ.
I am calling on you to:
1. Hold public hearings on the Portland falsehoods and subpoena all internal communications.
2. Audit DOJ truthfulness in recent court filings and expose every case of deception or defiance.
3. Require sworn factual certifications for all DOJ submissions, with automatic referral for violations.
4. Mandate transparency on “surge deployments.”
5. Protect career prosecutors from political removal and require notice when replaced in sensitive cases.
The DOJ is supposed to defend the Constitution — not the president’s ego. When its lawyers lie to judges and weaponize prosecutions against citizens, it ceases to be the guardian of justice and becomes its greatest threat.
You took an oath to defend the Constitution. That oath includes defending truth itself.
First sent on October 29 by Coleman · 1,581 signers in
the past 7 days
