Tell the Media: Cover the Trump DOJ as a Lobbying Scandal

Recent reporting on the Trump Justice Department reveals deep ties between DOJ leadership and corporate lobbyists, with officials moving between industry advocacy and top enforcement roles. When former lobbyists and corporate attorneys take control of federal agencies responsible for regulating and prosecuting powerful interests, that is not routine staffing—it is a potential capture of public institutions by private influence.

Yet much mainstream coverage treats these appointments and relationships as partisan reshuffling or personality-driven politics rather than what they represent: a lobbying story with profound implications for who benefits from federal enforcement decisions. When the press fails to follow the money and scrutinize conflicts of interest, it obscures how regulatory power can be redirected away from the public and toward corporate clients.

We call on major news organizations to cover the Trump DOJ through the lens of lobbying, revolving-door influence, and regulatory capture—examining financial ties, past clients, and enforcement outcomes. The public deserves clear reporting on whether justice is being administered impartially or shaped by private interests. Democracy depends on transparency about who really holds power inside our institutions.