DOJ Threatens Press with Subpoenas
Plus, the DOJ’s March memo lays out a wartime plan to expel Chinese nationals without trials, raising fears of unchecked executive power.
WASHINGTON — In a revealing glimpse of the Trump administration’s legal playbook, two major developments from the Department of Justice—one obscure and bureaucratic, the other loud and authoritarian—paint a chilling picture of where American governance is headed: backward.
On one side, a March 14 memo from the DOJ lays out detailed instructions for using the Alien Enemies Act—a law written in 1798—to detain and deport Chinese nationals in the event of a war with China. On the other, Attorney General Pam Bondi has signaled that the Justice Department is ready to use subpoenas, search warrants, and court orders against reporters who disclose information that, in her words, “undermines President Trump’s policies.”
Together, these actions form the architecture of an emergent doctrine: national security without accountability, and governance without dissent.