SUMMARY
President Trump’s Department of Justice is making headlines. This week, it is releasing a report accusing the Biden administration of weaponizing the agency, moving to wipe out the convictions of Jan. 6 ringleaders and making a surprise visit to a Federal Reserve construction site as part of its ongoing probe into Jerome Powell. Ali Rogin reports on the DOJ’s legal and political maneuvering.
View the transcript of the story.
NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
News alternative: Check out recent segments from the News Hour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
Key terms
Department of Justice (DOJ) — the federal agency that oversees law enforcement and that is headed by the attorney general.
attorney general — the top law enforcement officer in the United States that heads the Department of Justice, which includes agencies such as the FBI as well as federal prosecutors.
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- Whose convictions for crimes related to Jan. 6 is the Department of Justice seeking to overturn?
- What does the recent report from the Trump Department of Justice say that the Biden administration did to target political opponents?
- Why has the Trump administration fired career prosecutors (those who are not political appointees)?
- How does acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defend President Trump directing the DOJ to investigate opponents?
- Where did DOJ investigators show up this past week to demand access? What were they doing there?
FOCUS QUESTIONS
- What do all the Department of Justice actions described in this segment have in common?
- Do you think a president should or should not be allowed to direct federal investigations and otherwise direct the Department of Justice? Why or why not?
Media literacy: Why do you think this segment focuses on a series of actions by the Department of Justice instead of focusing closely on just one? What story do you think this segment is trying to tell?
WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO
Earlier this year, Republicans in Congress brought in former prosecutor Jack Smith to testify about his investigations of President Trump's connections to violence of Jan. 6. Watch the segment about the hearing below, then discuss the following as a class.
- After watching this segment, do you think prosecutions of Jan. 6 participants was fair or not? Why do you think so?
- How do you think the federal government could or should investigate criminal activity that might have some connection to politicians or political organizations, including the political operations of current or former presidents?
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