President Donald Trump has chased off many of the government officials who constrained his power grab -- and the ones who are left can hardly imagine what he'll do in a second term.
Trump has found a willing accomplice in Attorney General William Barr -- who believes in an all-power executive, but for more religious conservative reasons than his boss -- and many government employees are worried about what comes next, reported The Atlantic.
“I hear a lot of people say, ‘If there’s a second term, there’s no possible way I can wait it out for another four,’" said one official in the Justice Department. "A lot of people feared how bad it could be, but we had no idea it would be this bad. It’s hard to weather that storm.”
One federal prosecutor told the magazine that his office won't touch any case with a hint of political risk, especially immigration cases, and prosecutors believe Trump's attacks on law enforcement are undercutting their credibility with jurors in criminal trials.
“Barr is perhaps the most political attorney general we’ve ever had,” said one longtime government lawyer. “I know from talking to friends that many of the career people are distressed about two related things. One is the sense that legal decisions are being driven to an exceptional degree by politics.”
Thousands of career officials have already left the government, and that number could skyrocket if Trump becomes further emboldened by winning a second term.
“Things can hold together to the end of the first term, but after that, things fall apart,” said Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), who served in the State Department under the Obama administration.
“People start leaving in droves," he added. "It’s one thing to commit four years of your life to the institution in the hope that you can be there for its restoration. It’s another to commit eight years. I can’t even wrap my head around what that would be like.”