Former DOJ lawyers testify at bicameral hearing, say political loyalty is displacing rule of law

At a joint House and Senate hearing convened by Rep. Jamie Raskin and Sen. Adam Schiff, former Department of Justice attorneys described what they called a systematic effort by political appointees to prioritize loyalty over law, leading to firings, resignations and threats to career staff.

"Follow the facts and the law wherever they may lead," former public integrity prosecutor Ryan Croswell told the panel, summarizing the professional standard he said was breached when his unit was ordered to dismiss a high‑profile case in New York. Croswell said he resigned after acting Department leadership told his office to file a motion to dismiss the charge against New York City Mayor Eric Adams "without assessing the strength of the evidence or the legal theories on which the case is based."

The hearing focused on multiple recent incidents that witnesses said illustrate a pattern: the abrupt firing of Liz Oyer, who served as the department's pardon attorney; the resignation of Croswell and several of his…