The Justice Department has relaxed guidelines for the attorney general and other high-ranking political officials, allowing them to participate in political activities.
A memo sent this week by Deputy Attorney General Jolene Ann Laurie eases ethics restrictions on Senate appointees so they can speak at rallies, solicit votes and even serve as a delegate or leader of a national political party, as long as those activities are conducted in their personal capacity.
The guidance applies to the attorney general, assistant attorney general, assistant attorneys general, FBI director, U.S. attorneys and others.
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi had loose somewhat regulations during his term by allowing political appointees to attend rallies and fundraisers. The new memo goes even further.
It specifically states that Justice Department employees appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate are exempt from the stricter guidelines imposed on certain other Justice Department employees, such as administrative judges and those in the Criminal Division.
Attorney General Todd Blanche addressed the Midterm Republican Convention in September and attended a rally for a Republican candidate for North Carolina Senate, drawing criticism that he violated long-standing Justice Department standards intended to maintain the political independence of the law.
“I am not violating any rule or law in any way,” Blanche said of her appearances at these events, adding that they were made in her personal capacity.
The moves come after the Biden-era Justice Department cracked down on the political activities of appointees.
“Non-career appointees may not attend any partisan political events, even in their personal capacity,” a 2024 memo said, continuing a policy instituted two years earlier.
The 2024 memo also said appointees should “avoid making public appearances in any State shortly before a primary or general election in that State, to the greatest extent possible.”
PBS News was first to report on the new guidelines.
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