Rep. Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.), a former prosecutor, said Attorney General Pam Bondi is “undermining” the “fundamental professional ethic” at the Justice Department that says the department's prosecutors are meant to “do justice.”
In an interview on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday,” anchor Chris Stirewalt asked the California Democrat about reports that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is “getting rid of prosecutors that don’t want to take the hard line on immigration” that is embraced by Bondi and the Trump administration.
Liccardo first blasted the administration for deporting people accused of being gang members without granting them due process, saying, “It’s not just my idea. It's actually in the Constitution, and it's a pretty good idea.”
He then expressed concern about the effect Bondi’s moves will have down the line.
“As a prosecutor, unlike other lawyers, you have this opportunity, not simply to serve a client and be loyal to that client, but actually to do justice. That's why so many prosecutors love what they do,” he said.
“What we're seeing from Bondi in this administration, not unlike what we're seeing in a lot of aspects of this administration, is undermining that fundamental professional ethic that federal prosecutors are there to do justice,” Liccardo continued. “They're there to tell the court the truth at all times. That means you turn over exculpatory evidence. It means you dismiss cases if you don't have the evidence to prosecute.”
“And what we're seeing is completely undermining that, I think, for another generation. That's going to be very detrimental to our country,” he added.
Asked what advice he would give to prosecutors who don’t know how to proceed in their jobs, Liccardo said, “Do everything that your professional ethic requires you to do, that your conscience requires you to do, and in the meantime, look for another job.”
