UN human rights expert Margaret Satterthwaite condemned on Friday the purges of US Department of Justice officials including individuals who worked on or assisted with criminal investigations of President Donald Trump and individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Examples of actions that Satterthwaite denounced included reassignments, transfers, or dismissals of lawyers involved in the aforementioned cases, the establishment of a task force to review the performance of enforcement officials, and impeachment filings against federal judges who have issued adverse judgments. She added:
[A]ctions taken against justice officials to date may be only the beginning of a course of conduct aimed at removing these professionals and replacing them with individuals loyal to the new administration…I am deeply concerned that these attacks are part of an ongoing pattern of harassment of independent justice professionals.
The expert implored the US government to “stop its interference” and end political retaliation against justice department officials.
Satterthwaite also indicated that the “Weaponization Working Group” was especially concerning since it indicated the administration would continue to pour over civil and criminal department actions from the previous four years in a new campaign to punish political adversaries.
Since President Trump took office in late January, the administration has overseen a massive overhaul of the federal workforce which has included firings against DOJ employees involved in Trump criminal investigations, weakening administrative law judge employment protections, and mass resignations as a result of the actions.
In February, the US Senate confirmed the new FBI Director Kash Patel despite concerns about him undertaking a campaign to investigate and prosecute Trump administration political enemies. On the other hand, the administration handed out pardons to over a thousand defendants who participated in the “Stop the Steal” rally that precipitated the Capitol riot.
Margaret Satterthwaite is a Special Rapporteur appointed by the UN Human Rights Council and specializes in the independence of judges and lawyers. Special Rapporteurs make up a “Special Procedure Group” with other independent experts and working groups. They present observations and recommendations to the Human Rights Council and do not receive a salary for their work for the UN.