DOJ Memo Lets Top Appointees Join Campaigns In Personal Capacities
This week Assistant Attorney General Jolene Ann Laurie issued a Justice Department memo letting presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed officials — including the attorney general and the FBI director — take part in political campaigns in their personal capacities.[1]
The guidance explicitly allows those officials to speak at rallies, canvass, and serve as party officers or delegates.[1] It also carves them out from stricter rules that still apply to other DOJ staff, including administrative law judges and Criminal Division employees.[1]
Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared in September at a GOP midterm convention and at a North Carolina Senate rally, appearances that drew criticism for breaking longstanding DOJ norms.[1] The new memo reverses Biden-era DOJ guidance from 2024 that had barred non-career political appointees from attending partisan events even in a personal capacity.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- This week, Assistant Attorney General Jolene Ann Laurie issued a memo loosening DOJ political-activity guidelines for presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed officials.
- The memo permits these officials, including the attorney general and FBI director, to speak at rallies, canvass, and serve as party officers or delegates in their personal capacities.
- The guidance explicitly exempts such appointees from stricter rules that still apply to certain DOJ employees, including administrative law judges and Criminal Division staff.
- The policy shift follows Attorney General Todd Blanche’s September appearances at a GOP midterm convention and a North Carolina Senate rally, which drew criticism as breaking longstanding DOJ norms.
- The new memo reverses Biden-era DOJ guidance from 2024 that barred non-career appointees from attending partisan political events even in a personal capacity.
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