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department of justice
Glaring Financial Conflicts of Top Official Disclosed Only After Leaving Trump's DOJ
Chad Mizelle, third-in-command at the Department of Justice, managed to serve in Trump’s administration without disclosing his financial entanglements publicly–and now, only after his departure, can we highlight his conflicts of interest.
Nov 24, 2025
Chad Mizelle was tapped to serve as Chief of Staff of the Department of Justice before Trump’s inauguration even took place. In that critical role, Mizelle worked closely with Attorney General Pam Bondi to implement Trump’s agenda at the Department of Justice, or in Mizelle’s own words, “everything that the President wants us to do.” But after just nine months on the job, Mizelle abruptly left administration after he brokered a settlement for Hewlett Packard Enterprises’s $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks, undermining the DOJ’s Antitrust Division for a political favor.
As a high-level government appointee, Mizelle was bound by ethics rules to submit a disclosure report detailing his sources of income and other financial entanglements. But despite our repeated requests, Mizelle’s financial ties haven’t been reported until now—nearly ten months after he first joined the administration, and weeks after his departure from Trump’s DOJ.
Mizelle’s financial disclosure report reveals up to $250,000 in investments in firms that the Department of Justice has pending lawsuits against, ongoing settlements to oversee, or the authority to investigate, which created conflicts of interest with Mizelle’s broad leadership role. Mizelle’s financial entanglements include:
- Between $15,001 to $50,000 in Apple
- In March 2024, the DOJ Antitrust Division sued Apple for monopolizing smartphone markets. The lawsuit is still set to move forward under Trump’s DOJ.
- Between $15,001 – $50,000 in Meta
- Meta is subject to regular review of compliance with a 2023 DOJ settlement, in which the DOJ alleged that “Meta’s housing advertising system discriminated against Facebook users in violation of the Fair Housing Act.”
- Between $15,001 – $50,000 in Visa
- In September 2024, the DOJ Antitrust Division sued Visa for monopolizing debit markets. The lawsuit is still set to move forward under Trump’s DOJ.
- Between $15,001 – $50,000 each in Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern
- In July 2025, Union Pacific announced a $85 billion proposed merger with Norfolk Southern. While the merger is subject to the Surface Transportation Board’s approval, the DOJ has the ability to weigh in.
Mizelle’s other eyebrow raising investments include between $15,001 – $50,000 in two more Big Tech companies, Oracle and Adobe (which apparently has an appetite for buying up smaller rivals).
Obtaining Mizelle’s Financial Disclosures
These potential conflicts become all the more damning when considering that none of Mizelle’s investments were publicly accessible until days before the government shut down at the earliest. To our knowledge, we are the first to report on his financial disclosures.
In July 2025, I requested Mizelle’s personal financial disclosure report (PFD), as well as any ethics waivers from the DOJ’s Departmental Ethics Office. Despite receiving confirmation of my request, as well as the disclosures of other officials, weeks and weeks passed without further word about Mizelle’s PFD.
Then, in late September, Axios reported that Mizelle was planning on leaving the DOJ. And yet, when I followed up with the DOJ Departmental Ethics Office soon after the news broke, I was told that Mizelle’s PFD was still “not finalized.” I followed up the next week, but by then, the government had shut down, and my email to the DOJ ethics office was met with an auto response: “The appropriation that funds my salary has lapsed, and as a result I have been furloughed and am currently out of the office.”
It took until November 13, the day the government began to reopen from the shutdown, for the ethics office to share Mizelle’s PFD.
The drawn out timeline for his filings seems too convenient to be a coincidence. Per the document, Mizelle obtained a 90-day extension to file his financial disclosure report. That his entanglements could pose a conflict of interest was not lost on the ethics official working on his disclosures. In July 2025, an ethics official commented on the document that Mizelle was “reminded of recusal obligations.” (Notably, my request for ethics documents did not return any ethics waivers that would have allowed Mizelle to work on issues with which he had potential conflicts of interest. But his apparent reluctance to submit run-of-the-mill financial disclosures creates the question of whether he would have sought waivers at all.)
All in all, this means that Chad Mizelle, the third-in-command at the DOJ for nine months, did not have to face public scrutiny of his financial ties to companies the DOJ was overseeing until after he left the DOJ altogether. Even without meddling on Mizelle’s part, it’s deeply concerning that he was able to operate his entire tenure, potentially working on matters pertaining to companies he was invested in, without any sort of oversight or public accountability. This ethics-evading playbook may be new, but I doubt it’s the last we’ll see of it during this Trump administration.
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Trump-Appointed Judges Give Him Green Light to Send Troops Into Portland
In a dissent, Judge Susan Graber accused her 9th Circuit colleagues of eroding "core constitutional principles."
Oct 20, 2025
Two federal judges are giving President Donald Trump the green light to send National Guard troops into Portland, Oregon on Monday.
The US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit granted the US Department of Justice's (DOJ) request to put a hold on US District Judge Karin Immergut's earlier order blocking deployment of the National Guard to Oregon's largest city.
The two judges who ruled in the DOJ's favor were appointed by Trump, while the lone dissenter in the case, Judge Susan Graber, was appointed by former President Bill Clinton.
The court's majority ruled that the protests outside the Portland Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility were sufficiently disruptive to justify deploying the National Guard, despite the fact that demonstrations outside the facility in recent weeks had not disrupted operations.
Judge Ryan Nelson, one of the Trump appointees, went so far as to issue a concurring opinion stating that the president's right to deploy the National Guard, even over the objections of state and local officials, cannot be reviewed by the judiciary.
In a scathing dissent, Graber noted that "the record contains no evidence whatsoever that, on September 27... ICE was unable either to protect its Portland facility or to execute the immigration laws it is charged with enforcing." This is relevant, she said, because the law states that the president may only deploy the National Guard "to repel a foreign invasion, quell a rebellion, or overcome an inability to execute the laws."
Graber then accused her colleagues of eroding "core constitutional principles, including sovereign states’ control over their states’ militias and the people’s First Amendment rights to assemble and to object to the government’s policies and actions."
Graber's argument echoed a ruling made earlier this month by Immergut, who was also appointed to the bench by Trump and who said his declarations that violent protests at the Portland ICE facility prevented the enforcement of the law were "untethered to facts."
Sandy Chung, executive director of the ACLU of Oregon, said in a statement responding to the ruling that "we are very disappointed that the majority on this 9th Circuit panel were unable to see through President Trump's political theater, divisive rhetoric, and extreme abuse of power and misuse of our military."
"The fact remains that Portland is peaceful," Chung added. "Portland protesters have shown a remarkable level of humor, creativity, and community care in the face of this administration's persistent and violent abuses of power. Inflatable frog and unicorn costumes, bike rides, and musical events are hardly a threat or reason to take the extremely dangerous and anti-democratic action of sending American troops into our communities."
In addition to Portland, Trump is also seeking to send National Guard troops to Chicago over the objections of both Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. The administration has appealed that case to the US Supreme Court.
This article has been updated with comment from the ACLU.
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Comey’s Indictment: A Timeline of Weaponization
What Trump has done to Jim Comey, he can do to anyone who displeases him.
Sep 30, 2025
The Department of Justice has become US President Donald Trump’s personal weapon. Former FBI Director James Comey’s indictment crossed a line that no democracy can tolerate. The timeline tells the story.
Act I: The Setup
January 27, 2017: Trump held a private dinner at the White House with FBI Director Comey. In their meeting, Trump told Comey—twice, “I need loyalty. I expect loyalty.”
On Trump’s first pass, Comey didn’t respond. The second time, Comey said, “You will always get honesty from me.”
“That’s what I want,” Trump answered. “Honest loyalty.”
February 14, 2017: In a private meeting with Comey, Trump raised the subject of former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn, who was under investigation and later pleaded guilty to lying about his contacts with Russia during the 2016 campaign.
“I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” Trump said. “He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.” Comey did not say that he would.
March 30, 2017: Trump asked Comey to “lift the cloud” of the Russia investigation.
April 11, 2017: Trump asked what Comey had done in response to his prior request to “get out” the word that he was not personally under investigation.
Act II: The Firing
May 3, 2017: During Comey’s Senate testimony, he refused to answer questions about whether Trump was under investigation relating to Russian election interference. He also said, “It makes me mildly nauseous to think we might have had some impact on the election.” Trump was furious.
May 9, 2017: Trump fired Comey.
Act III: The Mueller Report
May 17, 2017: Comey’s firing prompted Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to name former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election.
April 18, 2019: Mueller’s report became public and concluded:
- “[T]he Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome.” (Vol. I, p. 5)
- The Trump campaign “expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts.” (Vol. I, p. 5)
- Trump tried repeatedly to obstruct the investigation into his campaign ties to Russia.
- “[I]f we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, however, we are unable to reach that judgment… Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.” (Vol. II, p. 2)
Mueller’s investigation produced 37 indictments and seven guilty pleas or convictions. More than 1,000 former federal prosecutors signed a statement that if any other American engaged in the same efforts to impede federal proceedings as Trump did, they would likely be indicted on multiple charges of obstruction of justice.
Throughout the remainder of Trump’s first term and after his defeat in 2020: Trump continued to rant that “Jim ‘Dirty Cop’ Comey” should be tried for treason—which is punishable by death. But his threats carried little weight.
Act IV: Weaponization
Department of Justice guidelines require sufficient evidence to prove and sustain a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt. And charging decisions cannot be influenced by a defendant's political affiliation: “There is no place in the decision-making process for animosity or careerism….”
January 2025: Trump appointed Erik Siebert, a career prosecutor, acting US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Early September: With the statute of limitations on potential charges against Comey expiring on September 30, 2025, Siebert had serious doubts about the case. His views quickly made their way up the Justice Department’s chain of command.
September 19: Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he wanted Siebert “out” because he hadn’t prosecuted another Trump enemy, New York Attorney General Letitia James: “It looks like she’s very guilty of something….”
Later on September 19: Siebert resigned..
September 20, 6:44 pm: Trump claimed that he had fired Siebert and pressured Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute Comey, Letitia James, and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.):
Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, ‘same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.’ Then we almost put in a Democrat supported US attorney, in Virginia, with a really bad Republican past. A Woke RINO, who was never going to do his job. That’s why two of the worst Dem Senators PUSHED him so hard. He even lied to the media and said he quit, and that we had no case. No, I fired him, and there is a GREAT CASE, and many lawyers, and legal pundits, say so. Lindsey Halligan is a really good lawyer, and likes you, a lot. We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!! President DJT
September 20, 7:51 pm: Trump congratulated Bondi on doing a “GREAT job as Attorney General” and announced Lindsey Halligan, 36, as his choice to replace Siebert. Halligan—a former insurance lawyer—had never handled a criminal case and was a staff secretary in the White House effort to remove "improper ideology" from Smithsonian properties. She was one of Trump’s personal lawyers in the Mar-a-Lago documents case.
September 22: Halligan was sworn in as acting US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
September 25: After Halligan personally presented evidence to the grand jury, it indicted Comey on two counts in a sparse indictment consisting of only one-and-a-half pages and signed only by Halligan.
Count 1 accused Comey of lying to the Senate when he said he “had not ‘authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports’ regarding an FBI investigation.” Count 2 accused him of obstructing Congress, presumably with the same alleged lie, but it was not specified.
September 25, 5:45 pm: Bondi posted:
No one is above the law. Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case.
September 25, 5:52 pm: FBI Director Kash Patel posted:
Today, your FBI took another step in its promise of full accountability. For far too long, previous corrupt leadership and their enablers weaponized federal law enforcement, damaging once proud institutions and severely eroding public trust. Every day, we continue the fight to earn that trust back, and under my leadership, this FBI will confront the problem head-on. Nowhere was this politicization of law enforcement more blatant than during the Russiagate hoax, a disgraceful chapter in history we continue to investigate and expose. Everyone, especially those in positions of power, will be held to account—no matter their perch. No one is above the law.
September 25, 7:24 pm: Trump posted:
JUSTICE IN AMERICA! One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to is James Comey, the former Corrupt Head of the FBI. Today he was indicted by a Grand Jury on two felony counts for various illegal and unlawful acts. He has been so bad for our Country, for so long, and is now at the beginning of being held responsible for his crimes against our Nation. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
Act V: Who’s Next?
September 25: Trump told reporters that he expected more political enemies to face charges: “It’s not a list, but I think there’ll be others. I mean, they’re corrupt. They were corrupt radical left Democrats.”
September 26, 6:57 am: Trump posted:
Whether you like Corrupt James Comey or not, and I can’t imagine too many people liking him, HE LIED! It is not a complex lie, it’s a very simple, but IMPORTANT one.
He left himself ZERO margin of error on a big and important answer to a question. He just got unexpectedly caught. James ‘Dirty Cop’ Comey was a destroyer of lives. He knew exactly what he was saying, and that it was a very serious and far reaching lie for which a very big price must be paid.
September 26, 7:00 am: Trump posted: “JAMES COMEY IS A DIRTY COP. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”
September 27, 6:40 pm: Trump posted:
I’d like to thank Kash Patel and the outstanding members of the FBI, for their brilliant work on the recent indictment of the Worst FBI Director in the History of Our Country, James ‘Dirty Cop’ Comey. The level of enthusiasm by the FBI was incredible, but only caused by the fact that they knew Comey for what he is, and was, a total SLIMEBALL! Again, thank you to the FBI and, specifically, those that worked on this case with U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, and the DOJ. Thanks you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. President DJT.
In his 6:57 a.m. rant on September 26, Trump began his verbal assault on the judge assigned to Comey’s case:
There is no way he [Comey] can explain his way out of it. He is a Dirty Cop, and always has been, but he was just assigned a Crooked Joe Biden appointed Judge, so he’s off to a very good start.
What Trump has done to Jim Comey and is now doing to the judge in the case, he can do to anyone who displeases him. And he will.
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