type: timeline_event
By March 2026, the Trump Department of Justice had launched an unprecedented series of retaliatory investigations and prosecutions targeting Democratic politicians, federal oversight officials, and the independent Federal Reserve. Protect Democracy's Retaliatory Action Tracker documented a systematic pattern of using the prosecutorial apparatus to punish political opponents and coerce institutional compliance.
The Federal Reserve received grand jury subpoenas as part of a criminal investigation into Chair Jerome Powell's congressional testimony about the renovation of the Marriner S. Eccles Building. Powell characterized the probe as a political pretext to pressure the Fed into lowering interest rates at Trump's behest. By March 11, the lead prosecutor on the Powell probe was replaced, raising further concerns about political management of the case.
Federal prosecutors issued grand jury subpoenas to at least five Minnesota Democratic officials -- including Governor Tim Walz -- over their opposition to the Trump administration's immigration enforcement operations. Democratic lawmakers including Sen. Elissa Slotkin and Reps. Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, and Chrissy Houlahan were investigated for participating in a video urging military personnel to refuse illegal orders. A grand jury refused to indict those lawmakers and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro ultimately dropped that investigation.
The DOJ also brought failed criminal cases against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey. Across all of these actions, legal scholars identified a common pattern: using the machinery of law enforcement not to prosecute crime but to punish and deter political opposition -- a hallmark of democratic backsliding and authoritarian consolidation.