Inside the DOJ’s Downward Spiral

Inside the DOJ’s Downward Spiral

From Talking Feds by Harry Litman

June 11, 2026 · 45 min

About this episode

Devlin Barrett discusses the transformation of the Department of Justice under Trump and the implications of a $1.8 billion slush fund.

Veteran reporter Devlin Barrett takes Harry inside the secret negotiations that created the $1.8 billion slush fund and the transformation within the Department of Justice that made Trump's self-dealing possible. Drawing from his new book—The Department of Revenge: How Trump Took Control of American Justice—Devlin tells the inside story of how the president’s cronies remade the DOJ. Devlin's book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Department-of-Revenge/Devlin-Barrett/9781668065129 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Harry Litman

Guest: Devlin Barrett

Topics covered

  • Department of Justice
  • Trump administration
  • political corruption
  • legal system
  • investigative journalism

Keywords

  • Department of Justice
  • Trump
  • Devlin Barrett
  • political corruption
  • investigative journalism
  • slush fund
  • American justice

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Department of Justice, Trump

Books & works: The Department of Revenge: How Trump Took Control of American Justice

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