Biden-Harris admin working to ‘Trump-proof’ hundreds of DOJ jobs, watchdog says
- August 28, 2024
Jamie Joseph, Fox News
The Biden-Harris administration may be attempting to “Trump-proof” the Department of Justice (DOJ) by hiring permanent appointees to some federal positions, according to findings from a watchdog group’s public records request.
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) documents obtained by Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT) and shared with Fox News Digital show the administration is using an “obscure hiring authority” that bypasses normal hiring processes based on merit to secure DOJ positions that could thwart former President Trump’s agenda if he takes office in 2025.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is utilizing Schedule A hiring authority to fill hundreds of attorney and judge positions in career civil service roles without competitive selection, the watchdog group noted.
“The foundation of our democracy or our republic is the Constitution, and the Constitution vests decision making authority in the executive branch and the president, and then also in principal and inferior officers in the government agencies, so they are supposed to be representing the people,” PPT founder and former U.S Department of Education worker Michael Chamberlain told Fox News Digital in an interview.
“The president is elected by the people. Now attempts to fight, whether it comes from career officials inside the government or others outside the government – especially inside the government – to undermine the ability of those principal and inferior officers to make those decisions, that seems to me to be very undemocratic,” he said.