Despite the Trump administration’s efforts to address what it describes as political bias at the Justice Department, campaign finance records show that Democratic-aligned committees received most contributions from donors who identified themselves as DOJ employees.
From January 2025 through August 2026, just over 75% of the roughly $300,000 in reported contributions went to Democratic committees, an analysis of Federal Election Commission records found. The review included donors who listed their employer as the Department of Justice, DOJ, or a similar variation. Contributions were grouped according to the affiliation of the candidates or committees receiving them; independent-expenditure groups were classified by whom they supported. The data was filtered to include unique individuals and avoid duplicate records.
The share shifted over time. In 2025, about 70% of contributions from people identifying themselves as DOJ staff went to Democratic committees. In 2026, that figure climbed to just under 90%.
Attorney General Todd Blanche and his predecessor, Pam Bondi, have said the administration inherited a Justice Department affected by serious corruption and political bias during Joe Biden’s presidency. In early 2025, Bondi said the administration would seek to identify and remove people in the FBI and DOJ who opposed Donald Trump.
Critics have disputed the claim that the Biden administration used federal law enforcement for political purposes, arguing that investigations involving Trump and other conservatives were based on legitimate legal concerns. Progressive critics, in turn, have accused the Trump administration of using the Justice Department to pursue political opponents.
Under Trump’s second administration, DOJ leaders have sought to recruit lawyers whose views align with the president’s agenda, while pushing out employees they believe will not support it. In February 2026, chief of staff Chad Mizelle urged lawyers who supported Trump to contact him about federal prosecutor positions. Stephen Miller shared the appeal online, and U.S. Attorney Jason Quiñones reposted it with a message that the department was hiring. Mizelle later said the goal was to ensure executive-branch lawyers were aligned with the elected president’s agenda.
The staffing changes have occurred alongside a large departure of federal attorneys. More than 10,000 lawyers have left federal service since Trump began his second term. More than 100 former federal attorneys have also moved to Democratic-led state attorneys general offices, taking years of experience with them. Some have since joined legal challenges against the administration. The departures have raised concerns that the government could lose expertise needed to manage complex legal issues.
Among the frequent recipients of contributions from donors identifying themselves as DOJ employees were Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, and Emily’s List, a group that supports abortion rights and is associated with the Democratic Party. Conservative committees, including some connected to Trump’s political network, also received donations from DOJ-affiliated donors.
The records do not show whether employees’ political preferences have affected the department’s daily work, much of which involves investigations and prosecutions with no direct connection to party politics.
A DOJ spokesperson previously said employees who were fired had been dismissed for a reason, while those who resigned or accepted an early departure option may have felt more aligned with Biden-era priorities. The spokesperson described the departure program as a way to reduce government staffing and remove layers that did not contribute effectively to the department’s mission of fighting crime.
The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
