Full Breakdown
DOJ Revises Ethics Guidance, Letting Senior Appointees Join Political Campaigns
By Drooid · · How we work
Revised Guidance Permits Political Activity
On October 10, 2026, Assistant Attorney General Jolene Ann Laurie circulated a new internal memo that relaxes long-standing ethics restrictions for Senate-confirmed Justice Department officials. The guidance allows the attorney general, deputy attorney general, assistant attorneys general, the FBI director, U.S. attorneys and similar senior appointees to speak at rallies, canvass for votes and serve as delegates or officers of a national political party, provided the activities are undertaken in a personal capacity.
Prior DOJ Ethics Rules
During the Biden administration, a 2024 memo barred non-career appointees from attending partisan events, even privately, and advised them to avoid public appearances in any state shortly before a primary or general election. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi had earlier softened those rules, permitting attendance at rallies and fundraisers, but retained the election-timing caution. The new memo removes the recommendation to avoid pre-election appearances, shifting the standard to the baseline set by the Hatch Act rather than the more restrictive internal code applied for over two decades.
Official Statements & Responses
Attorney General Todd Blanche asserted, “I am not in any way violating any rule or law,” emphasizing that his participation was in a personal capacity.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I am not in any way violating any rule or law,” — General Todd Blanche, attorney
- “This policy, and its recent update, have lowered the bar so that DOJ employees are now only held to the standard set by [the Hatch Act], as opposed to the higher and more restrictive standard set by attorneys general for the last 20-plus years that help ensure, to the greatest extent possible, that DOJ was above politicking,” — Joseph Tirrell