Relentless Purge of National Security at Justice

Posted 3/12/25

In a sweeping overhaul of the Justice Department’s senior leadership, the White House has removed or reassigned dozens of career officials, particularly within the National Security Division (NSD), signaling a dramatic shift in the department’s priorities and approach to the rule of law. The moves reflect the President’s unconventional approach to governance, marked by a disregard for institutional norms and an emphasis on loyalty over established legal expertise.

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Attention subscribers

To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, below, or purchase a new subscription.

If you are a current subscriber, and had an account on our previous site, you already have an account. If you have not yet logged into our new site, click here to reset your password.

Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.

E-edition

April 2025 Export Practitioner

View this issue

Browse other issues

Recent stories

CFIUS and America First: Faulkender Speech

Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender emphasized the Trump Administration’s commitment to balancing foreign investment with national security at the American Conference Institute’s CFIUS Conference Thursday April 24, , detailing the Administration’s initiatives under the newly issued “America First Investment Policy.”

IMF Slashes Growth Forecast

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday slashed its global growth forecast for 2025 to 2.8%, down from 3.3% in January, citing a sharp rise in tariffs and growing policy uncertainty. The United States faces one of the steepest revisions, with growth now projected at 1.8%, compared to a previous estimate of 2.7%.

Bessent says chill, re-center

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told investors at a closed-door JPMorgan Chase summit Tuesday that the ongoing trade conflict between the United States and China is “unsustainable,” and indicated that both sides would need to find ways to de-escalate. In a speech the next day Bessent called for a "recentering" of the missions of the IMF and World Bank.

IEEPA Tariff FAQs Published

US Customs & Border Protection has published an FAQ page on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) as it relates to tariffs.

Modern Slavery Enforcement

April has seen enforcement actions on Chinese work gloves, South Korean Sea Salt, and most recently a petition based on evidence of modern slavery in the Brazilian coffee industry.

Legal Challenges to IEEPA Tariffs Stack Up

As of April 25, 2025, seven lawsuits have been filed challenging President Trump’s imposition of tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a 1977 statute traditionally used for targeted economic sanctions.