Jeffrey Toobin argues Trump is using U.S. attorney appointments to weaponize the Justice Department. After filling top DOJ posts with loyalists in his second term, the president now seeks district‑level prosecutors who will chase political foes. The Senate will soon vote on three nominees—each lacking courtroom experience but boasting overt MAGA credentials—raising alarm about prosecutorial independence.

In Wyoming, acting U.S. attorney Darin Smith—a former state senator who attended the Jan. 6 rally and co‑sponsored legislation to dismantle gun‑free zones—has never tried a federal case. Alabama’s pick, Phillip Williams Jr., runs a right‑leaning media network and has characterized the Capitol riot as a “Salem witch trial” despite no criminal trial experience. North Carolina’s acting chief, Dan Bishop, a former congressman who voted against certifying the 2020 election and blamed Antifa for the riot, reports a practice that was 97 percent civil.

Democratic senators can block nominees through the blue‑slip tradition, yet Republicans control the Judiciary Committee and plan a single up‑or‑down vote under new rules championed by Majority Leader John Thune. With no organized GOP opposition, the three confirmations are likely to sail, granting Trump loyalists near‑unlimited discretion to launch investigations. The South Florida probe into former CIA chief John Brennan exemplifies how such appointments can inflict costly, legally tenuous attacks on perceived enemies.