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In the first days after Pam Bondi modified into once appointed criminal respectable total closing year, the Division of Justice started shutting down pending criminal situations at a file tempo.

The situations incorporated an investigation accurate into a Virginia nursing home with a most up-to-date file of patient abuse; probes of fraud interesting several Unusual Jersey labor unions, including one opened after a high respectable of a nationwide union modified into once accused of embezzlement; and an investigation accurate into a cryptocurrency company suspected of cheating investors.

In entire, the DOJ quietly closed extra than 23,000 criminal situations in the first six months of President Donald Trump’s administration, leaving slack hundreds of investigations into terrorism, white-collar crime, medicine and varied offenses as it shifted sources to pursue immigration situations, according to an evaluation by ProPublica.

The bulk of these situations, that have been closed with out prosecution and identified as declinations, had been referred to the DOJ by law enforcement agencies underneath prior administrations that believed a federal crime would perhaps also just have been dedicated. The DOJ routinely declines to prosecute situations for any more than a few of causes, including insufficient proof or which potential that of a case is now not a precedence for enforcement.

But the more than a few of declinations underneath Bondi marks a placing departure now not most exciting from the Biden administration nonetheless also the first Trump term, according to the ProPublica evaluation, which examined two a protracted time of DOJ files, including the first six months of Trump’s 2d term. ProPublica sure the enlarge is now not the end result of inheriting a larger caseload or extra referrals from law enforcement.

In February 2025 alone, which incorporated the first weeks of Bondi’s tenure, almost 11,000 situations had been declined, the most in a month since at the least 2004. The old excessive modified into once excellent over 6,500 situations in September 2019, for the length of Trump’s first administration.

Some of the situations shut down had been the end result of yearslong investigations by federal agencies such because the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration. For advanced situations, the DOJ can take years sooner than deciding whether or to now not ship prices.

The shift comes because the DOJ has gone by an unparalleled overhaul underneath the Trump administration, with total objects shuttered, directives to desert pursuit of particular crimes and hundreds of lawyers quitting or, in some situations, being forced out of the company.

In doing so, the DOJ is taking flight from its mission to impartially uphold the rule of law, shield the nation stable and give protection to civil rights, according to interviews with a dozen prosecutors and an open letter from almost 300 DOJ staff who’ve left the division underneath Trump. The Trump DOJ, the workers wrote, is “taking a sledgehammer” to prolonged-standing work to “give protection to communities and the rule of law.”

The exchange in priorities modified into once outlined in a gaggle of memos sent to attorneys early closing year. Trump’s DOJ has acknowledged it is “turning a contemporary page on white-collar and company enforcement” and emphasizing the pursuit of drug cartels, illegal immigrants and institutions that promote “divisive DEI insurance policies.” Trump, in an tackle closing March at the division, acknowledged the changes had been wanted after a “resign to violent criminals” for the length of the past administration and would end result in a restoration of “magnificent, equal and fair justice underneath the constitutional rule of law.”

The division prosecuted 32,000 contemporary immigration situations in the first six months of the administration, which modified into once almost triple the amount underneath the Biden administration and a 15% enlarge from the first Trump term. It has pursued fewer prosecutions of almost every varied sort of crime — from drug offenses to corruption — than contemporary administrations of their first six months relationship relief to 2009.

The DOJ has also closed hundreds of situations interesting alleged crimes that the administration has publicly emphasised as enforcement priorities. Even because the Trump administration unleashed Elon Musk’s Division of Govt Effectivity operatives to root out extinguish, fraud and abuse in the federal authorities, the DOJ declined over 900 situations of federal program or procurement fraud. About thrice as many situations of predominant fraud against the U.S. had been declined underneath Trump in comparison with the contemporary of the same time periods underneath prior administrations. And while the Trump administration has promised to “device The usa stable all any other time,” its DOJ has declined extra than 1,000 terrorism situations, also extra than prior administrations.

Federal prosecutor Joseph Gerbasi had spent years in the division’s Narcotic and Unhealthy Drug Share serving to device situations against predominant suppliers of fentanyl substances in India and China. After Bondi came in, he modified into once left bewildered when his group modified into once ordered to desert its work.

“The overall constructing blocks of what would change into a hit prosecutions had been pulled out,” acknowledged Gerbasi, who retired because the fraction’s acting deputy chief for policy in March 2025 after 28 years with the division.

The pass had an “overwhelming deflating build on morale,” he acknowledged.

Barbara McQuade, who worked as a federal prosecutor in Michigan for two a protracted time until 2017 for the length of Republican and Democratic administrations, acknowledged it modified into once now not ordinary for contemporary administrations to draw to place of work with a few “pet priorities” — much like a highlight on violent crime or drug trafficking. But she acknowledged these changes on the total enthusiastic modest changes in policy and that loads of the decisions on what crimes to condominium had been most continuously made at the local level by the district U.S. criminal respectable in coordination with the FBI or varied agencies.

“We would perhaps revise these about every 5 years, now not having one thing to enact with any administration, excellent which potential that of it made sense,” she acknowledged.

A DOJ spokesperson, in an emailed response to questions about the spike in declinations, acknowledged that in “an effort to tidy, remediate, and validate files in U.S. Attorneys’ case management machine,” the division reviewed all pending criminal issues opened forward of the 2023 fiscal year, which incorporated updating the reputation of closed situations. “This Division of Justice stays dedicated to investigating and prosecuting all forms of crime to shield the American other folks stable, and the more than a few of declinations is an instantaneous end result of our efforts to urge the company in a extra efficient manner.”

The company did now not reply to questions about the forms of situations declined.

The spike of declined situations started in February 2025 when the division ordered prosecutors to review every open case launched forward of October 2022 and settle whether or to now not shut it. This sort of review would most continuously take months, according to one criminal respectable tasked with reviewing situations. A memo, which modified into once described to ProPublica journalists, ordered the review to be carried out interior 10 days.

Feeble DOJ prosecutors told ProPublica that and so they reviewed caseloads every six months with supervisors and that closing out languishing situations wouldn’t ordinarily be put of abode off for distress. They acknowledged the February directive, then all any other time, modified into once ordinary. None would perhaps recall a the same explain.

The directive came as larger-united states of americain the division had begun making frequent requires for files about particular forms of situations and charging choices, such because the tip end result of fentanyl situations, according to ancient prosecutor Michael Gordon. Gordon, who helped prosecute Jan. 6 situations sooner than transferring to white-collar crime prosecutions, acknowledged the “fire drills” from officers in Washington became so usual that he grew old to the forlorn survey on his supervisor’s face when he showed up at Gordon’s door, apologetically handing over but one other frantic assign a matter to.

“It modified into once both ‘give us stats we are able to utilize to device ourselves survey excellent’ or ‘give us the stats to list how spoiled things are in this reputation,’” Gordon acknowledged. “It modified into once by no methodology productive truth-discovering.”

Although Gordon didn’t peep the memo, he remembered getting the assign a matter to to review all situations that had been open for added than two years and document relief on their reputation, coming into accurate into a grasp spreadsheet fashioned files about any that he wished to shield pursuing.

“The place of work modified into once pushing us to shut all the pieces by a particular date in divulge that when they had to document up to D.C. they had a low more than a few of open situations,” he acknowledged. “You truly had to head to bat to shield open a case that modified into once extra than two years gentle.”

Gordon acknowledged he modified into once fired by the DOJ closing June. He has filed a lawsuit alleging his termination modified into once politically motivated. The division did now not reply to questions about Gordon’s comments or his lawsuit. The authorities filed a walk to push apart the case gradual closing year, arguing that the federal court docket did now not have jurisdiction over the matter. The court docket has now not but ruled on that walk, and the case is restful pending.

Investigations into contributors or companies declined for prosecution are continuously now not reported to courts and on the total most exciting disclosed in summary fabricate by the DOJ in annual reports. To habits its evaluation, ProPublica received declination files from the DOJ and the Transactional Records Score entry to Clearinghouse, a middle that obtains files by Freedom of Knowledge Act requests.

Listed below are some of the areas most impacted by the spike in declinations.

Pills

As president, Trump has spoken frequently about the “scourge” of apparatus coming into the nation. At the similar time, the Justice Division has declined to prosecute almost 5,000 situations of federal drug law violations, including trafficking and money laundering. The more than a few of declinations had been 45% larger than the contemporary of the prior three contemporary administrations.

Gerbasi, the counternarcotics prosecutor, declined to commentary on particular situations that will want been declined in his place of work. But, he acknowledged, once Bondi modified into once appointed, the precedence in the place of work became constructing situations against Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan community that the Trump administration has labeled a foreign terrorist organization.

“Tren de Aragua modified into once now not anyplace shut to the dimensions or impact of the cartels we had been centered on,” Gerbasi acknowledged. “But we had been told to generate these situations.”

He acknowledged his place of work had to go to skim other folks to analyze local gangs in minute towns that had been reportedly affiliated with Tren de Aragua. “They by no methodology would have merited a tubby-scale federal investigation,” he acknowledged.

“It told me that choices had been going to be based mostly fully on political appearances and now not based mostly fully on the merits of where investigative sources desires to be placed.”

The DOJ declined to commentary on Gerbasi’s remarks.

Nationwide Safety

Below Bondi, the DOJ declined extra than 1,300 situations interesting terrorism and nationwide security, almost twice what modified into once conventional before all the pieces of the most most up-to-date contemporary administrations. Whereas home terrorism modified into once the toughest-hit program, excellent over 300 situations interesting prices of providing fabric purple meat up to foreign terrorist organizations had been also dropped.

The DOJ program handling issues regarding to nationwide interior security — which considers situations of alleged survey exercise and the protection of classified files — seen over 200 declinations, which is four times as many as conventional in the first six months of a contemporary administration. Some of the situations linked to serving as an unregistered foreign agent, a payment Bondi ordered prosecutors to live pursuing until they enthusiastic “habits much like extra aged espionage by foreign authorities actors.”

Jimmy Gurulé, a ancient federal prosecutor and George W. Bush appointee to the U.S. Treasury Division who investigated the financing of terrorism, acknowledged the decline in terrorism situations modified into once troubling.

“The Trump DOJ has been old as a political weapon,” he acknowledged. “It’s a matter of prioritizing sources. Are they going to be old for nationwide security threats or to prosecute his political enemies and critics?” The DOJ did now not reply to a assign a matter to for commentary on Gurulé’s remarks.

Labor

The DOJ shut down over 60 union corruption and labor racketeering situations, 2.5 times the amount in Trump’s first term. Shut to half of of the situations grew to change into down for these offenses had been out of the Unusual Jersey U.S. criminal respectable’s place of work, which in the past has aggressively pursued alleged union corruption. All had been approved as declined for insufficient proof.

Most of these situations had been opened by Grady O’Malley, an assistant U.S. criminal respectable who oversaw several prosecutions of union corruption while working in the Unusual Jersey place of work over four a protracted time. He retired in 2023 and modified into once scared to be taught from ancient colleagues that the place of work modified into once shutting down the open union probes.

A Trump supporter, O’Malley acknowledged that while he doesn’t blame the president, he worries the chance to fall so many situations would perhaps embolden unions that he and his colleagues spent years working to withhold responsible. “No one is assigned to enact labor union situations, and the unions have every motive to mediate no one is taking a survey.”

The Unusual Jersey U.S. criminal respectable’s place of work acknowledged it had no commentary on the declination of labor situations.

White-Collar Crime

The Trump administration has pledged to root out “rampant” fraud in federal profit programs like meals stamps and welfare. The controversial surging of federal agents to Minnesota in January started as a acknowledged crackdown on noncitizens allegedly ripping off nutrition and baby care programs.

The DOJ, then all any other time, shut down extra than 900 situations of federal program or procurement fraud in the first six months of the administration, including one concentrated on a mortgage lender accused by several reveal regulators of defrauding the Federal Housing Administration. The case modified into once dropped attributable to “prioritization of federal sources and pursuits.” The U.S. criminal respectable’s place of work for the Northern District of Alabama, which declined the case, did now not reply to a assign a matter to for commentary. The more than a few of fraud situations closed modified into once about double that in the similar length of time of the Biden and first Trump administrations.

The company also closed over 100 properly being care fraud situations which potential that of “prioritization of sources and pursuits” even supposing the Trump administration has acknowledged it is making this reputation of enforcement a precedence.

Amongst varied situations the DOJ sure weren’t a precedence: the probe into the Virginia nursing home accused of abuse, as properly as investigations in Tennessee into fraud at a nationwide properly being facility chain and one amongst the largest Medicaid managed care companies.

The Western District of Virginia U.S. criminal respectable’s place of work, by a spokesperson, declined to commentary on the nursing home case. A spokesperson for the U.S. criminal respectable in the Heart District of Tennessee acknowledged the place of work doesn’t commentary on investigations that enact now not end result in public prices.

The DOJ’s Antitrust Division, which makes a speciality of fighting large companies from setting up unhealthy monopolies, also declined an surprisingly excessive more than a few of situations in Trump’s 2d term. More than 40 situations had been dropped in the middle of the first six months of Bondi’s tenure. That’s extra than double the amount declined in the similar length of time by the prior three contemporary administrations.

Despite the declinations, the division acknowledged it charged fairly extra other folks with fraud in 2025 in comparison with the closing year of the Biden administration, and these situations alleged larger financial losses.

Promises Kept

The DOJ underneath Bondi has also impulsively pursued loads of the priorities specified by Trump’s early executive orders and her possess “first day” directives to workers.

Trump in February 2025 issued an executive explain pausing contemporary investigations underneath the Foreign Contaminated Practices Act, which prohibits electorate and companies from bribing foreign entities to method their industry pursuits. The explain requested the criminal respectable total to review and “take appropriate action” on any reward probes to “withhold Presidential foreign policy prerogatives.”

In the first six months, Bondi’s DOJ shut down 25 such situations, which is extra than the mixed amount dropped by the prior three contemporary administrations over the similar length of time. One of many situations declined for prosecution enthusiastic a well-known vehicle producer, which had reported doubtless anti-bribery violations to federal investigators interesting a foreign subsidiary. The DOJ declined the case for prosecution closing June, citing the “prioritization of federal sources and pursuits.”

On her first day, Bondi ordered a review of criminal prosecutions underneath the Freedom of Score entry to to Clinic Entrances, or FACE Act, which prohibits other folks from illegally blocking off access to abortion clinics and areas of treasure. The division dropped as many situations underneath the act in its first six months because the past three contemporary administrations mixed, over the similar timeframe. Bondi’s explain centered on “non-violent reveal exercise,” even though at the least one amongst the closed situations modified into once being investigated as a violent crime. The DOJ has since charged protesters against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and journalists in Minneapolis underneath the FACE Act. The defendants in the case have pleaded now not responsible.

The company closed thrice the more than a few of situations alleging environmental crimes because the Biden administration did and one-and-a-half of times as many as in comparison with Trump’s first term. The declinations came because the DOJ reassigned and reduce prosecutors working on environmental situations. One-fifth of all the dropped environmental security situations had been shut down for “prioritization of federal sources and pursuits.”