DOJ's 'intimidation' against groups that discipline bad lawyers alarms experts

The Department of Justice is trying to intimidate bar associations, which license and oversee lawyers, and legal experts are sounding the alarm.

Acting U.S. Attorney Todd Blanche "has been trying to intimidate state bars across the country and local bars," warned Adam Klasfeld, a legal journalist, in an episode of the Legal AF podcast. Blanche was hit with a bar complaint earlier this week for launching an investigation into Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

The DOJ, under Blanche's leadership, sued the D.C. Bar earlier this month and tried to strip state bars of the jurisdiction involving DOJ lawyers, Klasfeld said. The moves are part of a "campaign of intimidation," Klasfeld went on, worried that it could have a "chilling effect" on bars nationwide.

Klasfeld was speaking to Michael Klaw, the communications director for the Campaign for Accountability, the group that filed the bar complaint against Blanche. Klaw said the chilling effect is visible on bar associations.

"We can certainly say that we see a noticeable difference between how bars have been acting in the first year of the second Trump administration versus how they were acting previously," Klaw said. "There's sort of a bullying, chilling effect."

The intimidation started before Blanche took over the DOJ, Klaw explained. Under former U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi, the DOJ instituted a policy of "not cooperating with bar investigations," he said.

"They've only doubled down on that since," Klaw said. "Time will tell whether this is successful on their part to intimidate the bars further, but it's certainly concerning to see them trying."