In the final stretch of the 2020 presidential election, senior officials within Donald Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) deliberately leaked confidential information about ongoing investigations into COVID-19 nursing home deaths in New York and New Jersey. Their goal? To politically damage Democratic governors Andrew Cuomo and Phil Murphy.
According to a damning report from DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, these actions violated long-standing DOJ policies designed to prevent the misuse of law enforcement powers for political gain. The findings provide stark evidence that Trump’s DOJ engaged in precisely the kind of political weaponization the former president now claims to be a victim of.
Leaked Investigations, Political Motives
The inspector general’s report, released last week, details how three unnamed senior DOJ officials intentionally disclosed non-public investigative information to reporters at the New York Post and Wall Street Journal—before even informing the states under scrutiny. One of the officials sent a text message boasting, “Will be our last play on them before election, but it’s a big one.”
The leaks centered on investigations into COVID-related nursing home deaths in Democratic-led states, including New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Notably, Republican-led states with similar issues were not subjected to the same scrutiny, further highlighting the political motivations behind the disclosures.
“The federal government corrupted and misused the Department of Justice to influence the 2020 presidential election,” said former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, in response to the report.
Violating DOJ Policies
The DOJ’s Confidentiality and Media Contacts Policy explicitly prohibits officials from sharing details about ongoing investigations with the press. The rule exists to prevent law enforcement agencies from being used as political weapons. Yet, the inspector general found that not only did these senior officials leak investigative information, but one of them also violated DOJ’s Social Media Policy by reposting links to news articles covering the leaks through an official DOJ account.
The report underscores a disturbing reality: high-ranking DOJ officials used their positions to shape the political narrative just days before a national election. By strategically leaking information, they sought to amplify criticisms of Cuomo and Murphy’s COVID-19 policies while ignoring similar situations in GOP-led states.
A Cautionary Tale for the DOJ’s Future
As Trump prepares to retake control of the DOJ, the report serves as a stark warning about the risks of politicizing federal law enforcement. The agency is supposed to uphold justice impartially, not serve as a campaign tool.
Trump, who has repeatedly claimed to be a victim of “weaponized government,” now faces scrutiny over whether his own administration engaged in that very practice.
With a new administration set to take over the DOJ, the real test will be whether officials can resist political pressure and uphold the department’s commitment to impartial justice. If history is any indication, that will be easier said than done.