Staff Reports
As 2024 winds down, the big wigs at various federal agencies are packing their bags faster than a college student during finals week. The mainstream media, in its usual fashion, spins this exodus as Donald Trump “seeking vengeance.” In reality, it’s merely the American political machinery doing what it should: holding its own accountable for its numerous missteps.
Reports from The Wall Street Journal paint a rather dire picture of the Department of Justice, where disarray reigns supreme. Many of the lawyers and officials are reportedly eying the exits like a deer caught in headlights. Transitions always trigger some shake-up at the end of an administration, but Trump is pushing for an unprecedented overhaul. It’s as if the DOJ’s motto has shifted from “Justice for All” to “Flee While You Can.”
.@BenShapiro details how the Trump administration is ready to "clean house" of all DEI nonsense pic.twitter.com/tCBGBhPkvm
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) December 15, 2024
Legal recruiters are in a frenzy, noting a historic surge of résumés flooding in from DOJ lawyers seeking greener pastures. It’s not the usual turnover that follows a presidential transition; this time, it’s a mass retreat, with both political appointees and career staff making a beeline for the door. The shift is likened to a dystopian reality show where the participants are looking for a lifeboat on a sinking ship.
Many of these bureaucrats are fixated on landing plush positions in “BigLaw,” but surprise, surprise—there aren’t enough prime spots to accommodate everyone. The top-tier firms are cozy, making the option of staying with Trump or taking regular, everyday jobs seem less appealing. Ironically, for a crowd that boasts of their unblemished bureaucratic prowess, they appear unusually anxious about scrutiny into their past actions.
Part of this upheaval is rooted in the Biden administration’s ambitious staffing efforts designed to push its narrative. The DOJ expanded its antitrust division to bolster the administration’s increasingly ludicrous claims that inflation could somehow be pinned on greedy corporations. This culminated in a fervent push against corporate mergers, with the JetBlue and Spirit Airlines deal being a prime target, which ironically resulted in Spirit declaring bankruptcy. Clearly, hurting businesses is a surefire way to help consumers, right? Not to mention that the head of the Antitrust Division couldn’t exit fast enough when the heat became too intense.
Turnover during political transitions is a given, but what’s unfolding now is a mass retreat driven by a palpable fear of Trump’s looming comeback. Reports from Politico and the New York Times suggest a “deep state” scramble to prepare for the incoming administration, with officials bailing out in droves to evade accountability.
While the media is quick to label this as retaliation, it may simply be an early glimpse at much-needed transparency. The entrenched bureaucracy is discovering that the days of operating under a veil of secrecy are numbered. Leaving their posts instead of owning up to their actions only highlights the deficiencies in the very system they’ve defended for years.
In a political landscape where the left insists that the public should trust its “public servants,” the facade collapses under the weight of recent failures. Replacing these fleeing officials won’t happen overnight, but the necessity of a clean sweep is clear. The press might cry foul, but this exercise in transparency is just what America needs, laying the groundwork for a much-needed housecleaning even before the new administration takes office.
