Department of Justice

What the document says

“remove the FBI from the Deputy Attorney General’s direct supervision”

The chapter proposes placing the FBI under the general supervision of the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, says this can be done through a simple internal reorganization without Congress, and that under no circumstances should the FBI be able to go around the Attorney General or the department's leadership on any matter in its area of responsibility.

What the document says

“Prohibit the FBI from engaging, in general, in activities related to combating the spread of so-called misinformation and disinformation by Americans who are not tied to any plausible criminal activity.”

The chapter says the government has no business policing speech, that the First Amendment prohibits it, and asks for a hard firewall between monitoring online activity for threats or evidence of crime, which it treats as legitimate, and asking or demanding that publishers remove material based on content or viewpoint, which it says the department must not do.

What the document says

“The next conservative Administration should eliminate any offices within the FBI that it has the power to eliminate without any action from Congress.”

The chapter gives the FBI's Office of General Counsel as its example, saying it holds about 300 attorneys, has been involved in what it calls some of the FBI's most damaging recent scandals, and that these attorneys are not necessary in their current capacity because legal advice should come from department attorneys. It separately asks that field offices be emphasized, funded and rewarded while headquarters staff shrinks, saying the department must value badges over bureaucracy.

What the document says

“the next conservative Administration should seek a legislative change to align the FBI Director’s position with those of the heads of all other major departments and agencies.”

The FBI Director serves a ten-year term, an arrangement adopted to insulate the post from political pressure. The chapter says the Director must remain politically accountable to the President in the same manner as any other agency head, and frames the change as ensuring prompt political accountability and reining in perceived or actual abuses.

What the document says

“Use applicable federal laws to bring federal charges against criminals when local jurisdictions wrongfully allow them to evade responsibility for their conduct.”

The chapter says prosecution in most jurisdictions must remain a state and local responsibility, but that the federal government owes a special responsibility to Americans where state and local prosecutors have abdicated that duty. It asks for an increased federal law enforcement presence in such places.

What the document says

“Administration should therefore do everything possible to obtain finality for the 44 prisoners currently on federal death row.”

The chapter says the current crime wave makes deterrence vital, that providing the punishment without ever enforcing it serves neither victims' families nor the defendant, and that the death penalty should be pursued for applicable crimes, particularly heinous crimes involving violence and sexual abuse of children, until Congress says otherwise.

What the document says

“This could include use of active-duty military personnel and National Guardsmen to assist in arrest operations along the border”

The chapter raises this as part of what it calls a creative and aggressive approach to cartels at the border, and notes that it has not yet been done. It says a forceful approach to interdiction would affect the operations of these organizations and lay the groundwork for prosecutions of their leaders.

What the document says

“The Attorney General should require all U.S. Attorneys to develop a jurisdictional-specific plan”

The chapter asks that the plans be developed wherever possible in coordination with state and local law enforcement to reduce violent crime in each district, and that the Attorney General then hold each US Attorney accountable for achieving actual results.