DOJ team probing foreign bribery has dwindled

By rahmat hidayat

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

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Brad Bondi, the brother of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, lost his bid to lead the D.C. Bar.
Read the Reuters Special Report: How Trump defanged the DOJ's political corruption watchdogs.
Plus, does U.S. law allow Trump to send troops to quell protests?

US team investigating foreign bribery dwindles, sources say

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

The DOJ's team dedicated to investigating allegations of foreign bribery has dwindled as President Trump's administration reviews its enforcement of a decades-old law aimed at preventing corruption, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The DOJ's Fraud Section unit tasked with enforcing the anti-bribery law has shrunk to about 15 prosecutors, according to two of the sources. That number is down from 32 as of a January report published on the department's website. Read more from Andrew Goudsward, Sarah N. Lynch and Chris Prentice.

The cuts follow Trump's executive order in February calling for a pause in enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a 1977 law that prohibits companies that operate in the U.S. from bribing foreign officials and has become a cornerstone of federal efforts to combat corruption. A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment.

More top news

Does US law allow Trump to send troops to quell protests?

REUTERS/Mike Blake

President Trump deployed National Guard troops to California after days of protests by hundreds of demonstrators against immigration raids, saying that the protests interfered with federal law enforcement and framing them as a possible "form of rebellion," against the authority of the U.S. government. Here's an explainer.

Trump suggests arresting California governor who vows to sue over Guard deployment

Political divide widens as Trump deploys National Guard to Los Angeles

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