Sponsor
Seth Moulton
Representative · D-MA
Representative · D-MA
The bill increases oversight and imposes criminal penalties to deter politically motivated interference in DOJ investigations, but it also risks criminalizing high-level White House interactions, chilling DOJ communications, and creating opportunities for politicized prosecutions.
Taxpayers and the public gain stronger protection from politically motivated uses of DOJ resources, reducing abuse of prosecutorial power.
Taxpayers and the public benefit from new criminal penalties—fines and up to 5 years' imprisonment—that deter high-level interference in investigations and help protect the rule of law and fair enforcement.
DOJ employees must report improper requests to the Inspector General within 45 days, increasing transparency and oversight of Department decision-making.
High-level White House staff could face criminal exposure under the bill's "covered person" definition, risking separation-of-powers conflicts and accountability disputes.
DOJ employees may be forced into difficult reporting choices by the 45-day mandatory reporting requirement, chilling informal or legitimate executive communications absent clear guidance.
Taxpayers risk politicized enforcement of the new criminal prohibition itself, potentially entangling DOJ and the courts in politically charged prosecutions.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Makes certain politically motivated requests by top officials to DOJ employees a federal crime and requires DOJ employees to report such requests to the Inspector General within 45 days.
Official title: To prohibit politically motivated prosecutions and investigations, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 14, 2026 by Seth Moulton · Last progress January 14, 2026
Makes it a federal crime for certain high-level officials to ask Department of Justice employees to open or pursue a criminal investigation or prosecution of a particular person when the request is made selectively for a political purpose, and requires DOJ employees to report such requests to the DOJ Inspector General within 45 days. Violators face fines and up to five years in prison; covered officials include the President, Vice President, members of their executive offices, and certain high-ranking federal officials (excluding the Attorney General).