The Department of Justice (DOJ), historically rooted in defending public safety and the rule of law, is portrayed here as having strayed from its foundational mission. The document claims the DOJ has become overly politicized, infiltrated by a bureaucratic elite and left-leaning ideologues, leading to widespread public distrust. It criticizes the DOJ and FBI for alleged political manipulation, such as spreading disinformation during elections, censoring social media, targeting conservative individuals or groups, and neglecting issues like drug trafficking and immigration enforcement.

The chapter asserts that selective prosecutions, biased legal interpretations, and a failure to uphold consistent justice standards have undermined the department’s credibility. It emphasizes the need for major reforms—particularly of the FBI and Civil Rights Division—under a future conservative administration to realign the DOJ with its core purposes and restore public confidence.

This section of Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise argues that public safety is foundational to ordered liberty and contends that the current DOJ, under the Biden Administration, has failed in this duty. It accuses the DOJ of being politicized and unserious, enforcing laws unevenly, and misusing federal power against political opponents while ignoring major threats like drug trafficking, violent crime, and foreign cartels.

The document outlines four major priorities for reform:

1. Restoring the FBI’s integrity

2. Renewing DOJ focus on violent crime

3. Dismantling criminal enterprises

4. Refocusing national security efforts on foreign threats rather than U.S. citizens exercising constitutional rights

In discussing the FBI specifically, it accuses the bureau of overreach and misconduct, especially during the 2016 and 2020 elections. It proposes:

A comprehensive review of all major FBI investigations, with public findings if appropriate.

Reorganizing the FBI’s reporting structure to fall under Assistant Attorneys General rather than the Deputy AG, aiming for closer alignment with law enforcement priorities.

Banning FBI involvement in policing “misinformation” or “disinformation” unless linked to actual criminal activity, citing First Amendment concerns and accusing past actions of resembling censorship more than law enforcement.

This portion of Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise continues its critique of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and proposes further reforms centered around two areas: restructuring the FBI and refocusing DOJ efforts on violent crime.

Restructuring the FBI

Create a "hard firewall": Distinguish between legitimate DOJ monitoring (e.g., detecting real threats) and impermissible censorship (e.g., removing lawful speech based on content/viewpoint).Eliminate redundant internal offices: The next administration should reduce the FBI’s internal bureaucracy by:

Dismantling the FBI’s Office of General Counsel (approx. 300 attorneys), redirecting legal review to DOJ divisions.

Shuttering separate Public Affairs and Congressional Affairs offices within the FBI, consolidating those functions under DOJ-wide offices.

Prioritize field offices over headquarters: Reward operational units in the field instead of expanding centralized bureaucracy.

End the 10-year term for the FBI Director: Propose legislation to make the Director politically accountable to the President like other agency heads, aiming for more direct oversight and control.

Refocusing DOJ on Violent Crime

DOJ leadership should make actual crime reduction—not rhetorical priorities—the core mission.

U.S. Attorneys must be held accountable through district-specific plans for reducing violent crime in coordination with local law enforcement.

The text criticizes “criminal justice reform” efforts as harmful, claiming they have led to increased crime by removing effective tools from law enforcement.

It juxtaposes this against DOJ actions like the 2021 Garland memo on school board threats, arguing the DOJ misallocated resources to suppress political dissent rather than tackling real crime.

Addressing Jurisdictions with “Rule-of-Law Deficiencies”

The federal government should intervene in areas where local prosecutors fail to uphold the law:

Use federal laws to prosecute criminals that locals let off.

File legal action against local DAs or officials who refuse to prosecute based on identity politics or other political motives.

Pursue tougher sentencing and oppose policies that reduce sentences for armed career criminals without proper justification.

This section stresses a tougher federal posture against both violent crime and what it sees as politicized inaction by progressive local governments.