Obama Slams Trump-Era Abuse Of Justice Power: Presidents Shouldn’t Order AG To Prosecute Or Run ‘Side Hustles’

In a pointed rebuke of the Trump administration’s corrosive influence on the Department of Justice, former President Barack Obama told Late Show host Stephen Colbert that presidents should never be able to order the Attorney General to “go prosecuting” political opponents or run “side hustles” that serve their own interests.

Obama’s comments, delivered without explicitly naming Trump, are a clear indictment of the unprecedented abuse of pardon power, obstruction of justice, and corrupt loyalty trades that defined the Trump White House’s approach to law enforcement. The former president highlighted how the politicization of the DOJ under Trump shattered longstanding norms designed to keep justice impartial and independent.

The Trump administration repeatedly weaponized the Attorney General’s office to shield allies and punish critics, turning what should be a neutral arbiter of the law into a political weapon. From pardoning January 6 rioters to undermining investigations into Trump’s own conduct, the DOJ became a tool for personal and political gain rather than justice.

Obama’s warning underscores a fundamental threat to democracy: when presidents treat the Justice Department as a personal “side hustle,” they erode public trust and dismantle the rule of law. His remarks serve as a rallying cry for renewed accountability and reforms to prevent future administrations from wielding the DOJ as a partisan cudgel.

At a moment when the integrity of American institutions remains under assault, Obama’s blunt assessment reminds us that safeguarding the independence of the Justice Department is not just a legal necessity but a democratic imperative. The Trump era’s corrosive legacy demands vigilance and resistance to restore justice as a shield for all, not a sword for the powerful.