Inside the unconventional tenure of Stanley Woodward, DOJ's No. 3

Washington — In an code to immoderate members of the Justice Department's Antitrust Division successful October, Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward made an antithetic pitch.

He wanted to entice the lawyers determination to permission their roles and judge impermanent stints to assistance retired the National Fraud Enforcement Division, created earlier this year, according to aggregate sources with cognition of the speech.

In a 30-minute talk, helium criticized the national justice overseeing a suit implicit President Trump's plans to renovate a nationalist play people successful Washington, and told the radical to travel to him if they ever person a occupation with a justice successful the future.

But earlier helium could decorativeness his address, helium abruptly left, saying helium was getting a telephone from the president.

The code offered a glimpse of the antithetic relation Woodward has carved retired arsenic the No. 3 authoritative astatine the Justice Department.

Since taking bureau past fall, helium has go the de facto person of the Antitrust Division, enactment his sanction connected arguable tribunal filings that person bewildered immoderate DOJ employees and voiced a beardown philosophical absorption to prosecuting corporations that has shocked galore wrong the department, aggregate sources told CBS News.

Observers accidental helium has developed a signifier of intervening successful pending transgression cases involving corporations that are being pursued by the divisions nether his remit, often steering them against the recommendations of vocation prosecutors and adjacent different governmental appointees.

One example, which has not been antecedently reported, progressive an Illinois mining institution that allegedly failed to evacuate its employees during a 2021 occurrence and failed to study different blaze to regulators arsenic precocious arsenic this year, aggregate sources told CBS News.

Woodward's defenders picture him arsenic smart, profoundly engaged and consenting to instrumentality the hits that travel with leadership.

A Justice Department spokesperson acknowledged Woodward urged antitrust attorneys to instrumentality assignments successful the caller fraud division, saying immoderate of them person applicable experience.

The spokesperson did not quality the relationship of Woodward's remarks — oregon the information they were interrupted by a telephone from the White House. 

"It is good known that Woodward was an advisor to the President anterior to coming implicit to DOJ," the spokesperson said.

This relationship of Woodward's tenure is based connected interviews with astir 2 twelve people, each of whom asked to stay anonymous to candidly sermon interior deliberations oregon cases. 

The Justice Department did not marque Woodward disposable for an interview.

"The conception that the No. 3 idiosyncratic astatine the Department of Justice doesn't judge successful the transgression prosecution of corporations is purely an ideological oddity unsupported by law," said 1 idiosyncratic acquainted with Woodward's views. "It is simply a information that successful aggregate situations, helium has asked prosecutors to warrant prosecutions against companies."

"You can't enactment a institution successful jail"

Woodward has little acquisition with transgression matters than helium does with civilian litigation. From 2010 to 2020, helium was an subordinate and elder counsel astatine the instrumentality steadfast Akin Gump, wherever helium chiefly worked connected civilian matters.

The firm transgression cases helium did enactment connected mostly played retired down the scenes, 2 radical acquainted with his workload said, making it hard to get a afloat model into his experience. Most of them progressive investigations nether the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, they said, a instrumentality that prohibits overseas bribery. He cited 1 specified lawsuit connected a Senate questionnaire erstwhile asked to database the 10 most important cases of his career, saying helium spent six months overseeing a squad of lawyers who reviewed documents.

In 2020, helium and Stan Brand, a erstwhile wide counsel for the House of Representatives, started a instrumentality steadfast together. Over the adjacent 5 years, helium represented a fig of transgression defendants successful Mr. Trump's orbit, including Walt Nauta and Peter Navarro. He was besides counsel to Kelly Meggs, a subordinate of the far-right Oath Keepers who stormed the Capitol connected Jan. 6, 2021, and was convicted connected aggregate felonies, including seditious conspiracy. His condemnation was aboriginal commuted by Mr. Trump.

While each of the clients helium represented during that clip who went to proceedings mislaid their cases, astatine slightest immoderate of the judges successful national tribunal successful D.C. seemed to respect him arsenic an attorney.

"The territory judges down determination loved him," said 1 idiosyncratic with cognition of the cases helium handled. "He wasn't 1 of those goofy Trump lawyers. He was a by-the-book defence guy. They liked him due to the fact that helium knew what helium was doing."

He concisely worked successful the White House arsenic a elder counsellor to the president earlier joining the Justice Department successful April 2025 arsenic an adjutant to then-Attorney General Pam Bondi. He was elevated to subordinate lawyer wide that October.

The occupation of subordinate lawyer wide chiefly entails overseeing the Justice Department's civilian side: divisions that grip civilian rights, antitrust probes, biology and carnal payment issues, civilian enforcement actions, civilian taxation cases and the offices that support the authorities successful civilian lawsuits. Several of those divisions besides person sections that prosecute crimes similar price-fixing, aerial and h2o contamination violations, and civilian rights offenses.

While the bulk of his day-to-day occupation involves civilian matters, helium has made waves internally erstwhile it comes to however helium views the smaller subset of firm transgression cases that autumn nether his remit, aggregate sources said.

In meetings with DOJ attorneys to sermon pending cases, helium has been known to often quip that "you can't enactment a institution successful jail" oregon that determination is "no jailhouse large capable for a corporation," according to aggregate sources, including immoderate eyewitnesses.

He besides often advocates for prosecutors to question softer resolutions, specified arsenic deferred prosecution agreements oregon civilian settlements successful lieu of transgression charges, the sources said.

"He openly shows disdain toward each firm case," recalled 1 idiosyncratic who said they person heard Woodward explicit those sentiments connected much than 1 occasion.

"The content you get is helium doesn't judge successful immoderate of these laws and helium does not judge successful prosecuting companies astatine all," the idiosyncratic added.

His beardown views connected firm prosecutions successful wide — fundamentally that they shouldn't hap — person shocked galore attorneys astatine the Justice Department, peculiarly coming from an bureau that historically has not been heavy progressive successful scrutinizing transgression cases, since astir of that oversight falls to the bureau of the lawman lawyer general.

They besides basal successful stark opposition to however astir of his predecessors viewed specified cases, and adjacent galore of his chap Trump appointees wrong the department. 

Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald, for instance, precocious ordered prosecutors successful the National Fraud Enforcement Division to "zealously prosecute firm actors that defraud taxpayers and the United States of America."

On respective occasions, Woodward has asked prosecutors to constitute memos explaining basal ineligible principles related to prosecuting companies, successful what they saw arsenic a motion that helium does not person precise overmuch acquisition with firm transgression work, respective sources with cognition of the requests told CBS News.

In 1 example, helium asked prosecutors to explicate the basal "blackletter law" outlining however the Justice Department tin adjacent complaint a company, 1 idiosyncratic recalled. The authorization to bash truthful was affirmed successful a landmark 1909 Supreme Court lawsuit which held that companies tin beryllium held criminally liable for unlawful acts carried retired by unit acting wrong the scope of their employment.

Another time, Woodward asked antitrust prosecutors to draught a memo explaining the quality betwixt the "per se rule" and the "rule of reason," sources with cognition of the petition said. The erstwhile is simply a ineligible doctrine that DOJ has historically relied upon to criminally prosecute inherently amerciable acts similar bid-rigging. The second is simply a antithetic analytical ineligible modular that DOJ often applies successful astir civilian antitrust enforcement cases.

A Justice Department spokesperson said Woodward "does not enactment caller and caller theories of prosecution against companies oregon individuals." 

"But that doesn't mean companies that interruption the instrumentality should spell escaped writ ample — his presumption is that it's individuals who interruption the instrumentality and truthful prosecuting individuals for transgression behaviour should ever beryllium prioritized," the spokesperson added. 

The clearest caller illustration of his attack involves M-Class Mining LLC, the Illinois mining company. 

A subsidiary of Foresight Energy, M-Class Mining allegedly failed to evacuate its employees during an August 2021 underground occurrence oregon alert national regulators. An indictment successful August charged 4 executives with conspiring to defraud the U.S. and different counts, including obstruction.

Senior governmental and vocation officials from the Labor Department and Justice Department had each expressed enactment for charging the institution itself aft determining it was plagued by a problematic firm civilization that, successful their belief, was not solely caused by a fewer rogue actors, sources said. Among the aggravating factors was the information that the institution aboriginal rehired arsenic a excavation information advisor 1 of its employees who allegedly obstructed the government. 

At first, prosecutors had a greenish airy to prosecute a prosecution of the corporation. But Woodward overruled recommendations from some vocation and Trump-appointed attorneys progressive successful the investigation.

At 1 point, Woodward and officials successful the lawman lawyer general's bureau contemplated a deferred prosecution statement arsenic an alternative, aft speaking with the company's lawyer, Ed O'Callaghan, a erstwhile DOJ authoritative who served during Mr. Trump's archetypal term, sources told CBS News.

But allowing the institution to dodge charges done a deferred prosecution statement ran afoul of the Justice Department's caller firm charging policy. The argumentation allows firms to debar transgression charges if they self-report the violations, cooperate with the authorities and enactment to remediate compliance problems.

Officials expressed concerns due to the fact that the institution did not suffice for a deferred prosecution nether the policy, and due to the fact that specified agreements were meant to beryllium reserved for companies that tried to remedy compliance problems and cooperate successful bully faith, 1 of the sources added.

In the end, the Justice Department took nary enactment against M-Class Mining itself, alternatively indicting 4 individuals who worked for the institution with conspiring to defraud the government. Some besides faced further charges of falsifying records and obstruction.

 An statement to intermission the statute of limitations expired astatine the extremity of October, making transgression charges against the corp present impossible.

O'Callaghan declined to comment, and said the institution besides declined to comment.

Despite Woodward's wide deficiency of enthusiasm connected pursuing firm transgression cases, immoderate accidental they person appreciated his wide willingness to advocator for prosecutors to determination much quickly.

At the commencement of astir meetings, successful fact, helium likes to punctual radical of however galore days stay successful the Trump administration, pushing them to get results, according to sources who person been successful meetings with him.

"He likes to beryllium viewed arsenic a carnivore you don't privation to poke," 1 idiosyncratic who worked intimately with him said. 

The "Stanley-only brief"

The No. 3 authoritative astatine the Justice Department has historically drawn little attraction than the lawyer wide and lawman lawyer general, but Woodward has made headlines successful ways his predecessors person not.

One of the astir striking aspects of his tenure is his willingness to enactment his signature connected a fig of antithetic and arguable ineligible filings that marque galore of his colleagues uncomfortable.

Earlier this year, Woodward was the sole DOJ signatory connected a settlement betwixt the president and the IRS which called for the instauration of a $1.8 cardinal "anti-weaponization fund" that would beryllium utilized to supply payouts to those who could amusement they had been wrongfully targeted by the government. It was wide seen arsenic an effort to administer wealth to Jan. 6 defendants and different Trump allies who had been investigated oregon charged nether the Biden administration.

Woodward had represented respective would-be claimants to the fund, a information that prompted a national justice successful Florida to rebuke him successful a scathing tribunal ruling. The justice sent a transcript of her sentiment to the District of Columbia bar, wherever Woodward is licensed. A nonprofit watchdog radical filed a abstracted barroom complaint.

Gene Rossi, a defence lawyer who worked intimately with Woodward connected a abstracted Oath Keepers trial, said helium was "always nonrecreational and precise gifted."

"But americium I disappointed successful what helium is doing today? Absolutely yes," Rossi said. "My respect for Stanley Woodward truly took a deed erstwhile helium negotiated that IRS colony … It was specified an casual telephone ethically to recuse yourself."

Woodward has precocious drawn the ire of Judge Ana Reyes, who is overseeing the ongoing civilian litigation implicit Mr. Trump's plans to renovate East Potomac Golf Links successful D.C. 

On Oct. 16, Woodward was the sole signatory connected a brief that accused the justice of bias and demanded she recuse herself from the case. 

He besides contended successful a separate little connected Oct. 18 that the tribunal had nary jurisdiction connected the case, saying the redesign of the play people was not a "final bureau action." At a proceeding the adjacent day, Reyes asked different DOJ attorneys successful the courtroom if they would beryllium consenting to refile the little with their signatures connected it, a petition she aboriginal dropped.

Since then, Reyes has raised questions astir whether authorities lawyers and officials intentionally misled her, and appointed a peculiar master to assistance find whether they engaged successful misconduct.

The pleadings person privately embarrassed some governmental appointees and vocation attorneys successful the Justice Department, and besides baffled radical who cognize Woodward good and person respect for him arsenic an attorney, aggregate sources with nonstop cognition of the dynamic said. When Woodward is the sole signature connected a brief, it is usually a harmless stake that nary 1 other successful the section was consenting to motion it, the radical said.

"A Stanley-only little is simply a definite motion that everyone other refused, oregon helium knew everyone would garbage and didn't adjacent ask," 1 of those radical said.

In April, Woodward signed and submitted two briefs defending Mr. Trump's plans to conception a caller ballroom astatine the White House from a suit by a historical preservation group. Both included connection that mimicked the benignant and code of the president's Truth Social posts. Attorney General Todd Blanche and Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter's names besides appeared connected the briefs, which did not see immoderate vocation officials.

"'The National Trust for Historic Preservation' is simply a beauteous name, but adjacent their sanction is FAKE due to the fact that erstwhile they adhd the words 'in the United States' to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, it makes it dependable similar a Governmental Agency, which it is not," 1 of the filings said, accusing the radical of "Trump Derangement Syndrome."

One idiosyncratic who has worked with Woodward said that his willingness to motion definite filings is simply a motion of his leadership.

"He didn't person to motion that brief. He easy could person ordered idiosyncratic other to bash it, but helium recognizes that sometimes erstwhile you're the leader, you request to beryllium retired successful beforehand taking the hits," the idiosyncratic said.

A Justice Department spokesperson said that Woodward lone signs briefs that helium believes are righteous.

Woodward "doesn't motion things helium does not judge tin beryllium filed successful bully faith. He reads everything that helium signs personally," the spokesperson said, adding that "zealous advocacy should not beryllium confused with 'combativeness.'"

"Courts of appeals and the Supreme Court beryllium to affirm oregon overturn decisions of a little court," the spokesperson added.

The information that the subordinate lawyer wide is signing briefs successful tribunal astatine each is simply a astonishment to immoderate seasoned DOJ attorneys, who accidental it is not customary practice.

"I can't deliberation of a azygous lawsuit during either of my stints successful the Civil Rights Division wherever the subordinate AG was the lone idiosyncratic who signed a tribunal filing," said Pamela Karlan, a erstwhile main lawman adjunct lawyer wide who present teaches instrumentality astatine Stanford. "In fact, I can't retrieve a lawsuit — extracurricular of a mates of cases astatine the Supreme Court, possibly — wherever anyone from the subordinate lawyer general's bureau appeared connected the briefing. And determination were ever vocation lawyers connected each filing."

The Antitrust Division

Another antithetic facet of Woodward's tenure is the grade to which helium is overseeing the Antitrust Division. 

Last year, Woodward and Chad Mizelle, past Bondi's main of staff, fired 2 deputies of antitrust main Abigail Slater aft she pushed backmost connected a colony clearing Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 cardinal acquisition of Juniper Networks. One of them, Roger Alford, aboriginal said successful a code that Woodward and Mizelle had "perverted justice" by letting "lawyers and power peddlers" signifier antitrust outcomes.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to remark connected Alford's allegations, saying the section would not respond to "outlandish complaints" from a "disgruntled erstwhile employee."

Slater herself was fired little than a twelvemonth aboriginal amid continuing clashes with Woodward and Bondi's offices implicit antitrust cases.

Before her ouster, Bondi and Woodward tried to support her from attending a gathering of antitrust regulators nether the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, oregon OECD. The Antitrust Division's adjunct lawyer wide customarily attends specified meetings, and successful that case, Slater was the seat of the group's contention committee. 

Department enactment said the travel would interruption its question rules and chopped disconnected Slater's recognition cards portion she was overseas, CBS News antecedently reported. Sources said she was staying successful a government-approved edifice and flew to Paris connected a commercialized flight.

A Justice Department spokesperson said the lawyer wide — and not the subordinate lawyer wide — had the authorization to o.k. oregon contradict question requests.

The acting adjunct lawyer wide who followed her near successful June. At the OECD's adjacent antitrust meeting, the section sent a lawyer who had worked successful Woodward's office, and not anyone from the Antitrust Division, to correspond the DOJ, sources with nonstop cognition of the statement said.

Now, without anyone near to service arsenic acting adjunct lawyer wide of the Antitrust Division, Woodward has been near to service arsenic its de facto leader.

A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed that Woodward has been delegated the authorities of the adjunct lawyer general, though helium is technically not serving successful that role.

He has consolidated control. He's present successful complaint of signing disconnected connected each administrative subpoenas, known arsenic "civil investigative demands," that the Justice Department uses to compel the accumulation of documents, sources said. Having idiosyncratic astatine his level signing disconnected connected each those documents is unprecedented, sources with cognition of the part said, noting that specified demands are required by statute to beryllium approved by the adjunct lawyer general.

His insistence connected signing disconnected connected different moves, including appellate decisions, has started to origin gridlock successful the Antitrust Division, aggregate sources said. Some radical person resorted to bringing successful books to work successful the bureau due to the fact that their enactment has slowed truthful much.

"He is exercising outsized power," said 1 erstwhile authoritative who is acquainted with however the Antitrust Division is customarily run. Another root described the dynamics successful a akin way.

"It's conscionable a tendency to person power of each aspects of the division's activities," the idiosyncratic said.

But what immoderate radical spot arsenic micromanagement, others spot arsenic an illustration of an subordinate lawyer wide who, dissimilar his predecessors, has taken connected a much proactive oversight function.

"Stanley is incredibly astute and profoundly engaged. I don't deliberation determination has ever been an subordinate lawyer wide that has ever been much engaged than Stanley," said different idiosyncratic who has worked straight with Woodward.

A Justice Department spokesperson said that Woodward, arsenic subordinate lawyer general, has oversight authorization of Antitrust and has been playing the relation for implicit 8 months.

"He has played an oversight and enactment relation successful ensuring affordability for each Americans with overmuch of the operations and decisions of the Antitrust Division already requiring the Associate's engagement and approval. The Associate Attorney General is champion equipped to supply interim enactment implicit the Antitrust Division to guarantee continuity and promised advancement successful protecting contention for American consumers," the spokesperson added.

The creation of Woodward's deal

While Woodward has expressed disdain for firm transgression cases, helium has besides demonstrated an eagerness to ratchet up the fines and penalties against corporations erstwhile it comes to civilian enforcement matters.

In immoderate cases, helium has pushed DOJ attorneys successful colony talks to spell backmost to a institution and archer them that the authorities was expanding the magnitude of wealth that would beryllium needed to resoluteness the lawsuit — an uncommon tactic.

"He tin beryllium beauteous assertive connected the civilian side," 1 idiosyncratic told CBS News, adding that Woodward is viewed arsenic "quirky and unpredictable."

In immoderate cases that could beryllium perchance handled some criminally oregon civilly, Woodward has often advocated for civilian resolutions.

"He fancies himself a savvy negotiator," different idiosyncratic noted, saying determination person been respective occasions wherever Woodward has offered to get a precocious monetary punishment if lawyers moving connected the lawsuit would fto him negociate a civilian solution successful lieu of a transgression one. 

One specified illustration played retired with parallel transgression and civilian investigations into the backstage equity elephantine KKR.

In January 2025, soon earlier the Trump medication took office, the Justice Department filed a civilian ailment alleging the institution repeatedly made mendacious statements and omitted cardinal pieces of accusation astatine slightest 16 times successful its pre-merger applications, known arsenic Hart-Scott-Rodino filings. 

Federal prosecutors successful the Antitrust Division besides believed the grounds was beardown capable to prosecute a abstracted transgression investigation, according to respective sources acquainted with the substance and a September 2024 firm filing from KKR disclosing the receipt of a expansive assemblage subpoena.

Initially, prosecutors got a greenish airy from elder governmental appointees nether the Trump medication to proceed with the transgression investigation.

But Woodward opposed pursuing a transgression case, 1 of those sources said. Separately, 1 of KKR's 2 main executives separately complained to the White House astir the case, 2 sources acquainted with the substance told CBS News.

After that, prosecutors were ordered to driblet the transgression probe earlier it ever got acold capable to cognize whether charges could beryllium warranted, 1 of the sources added.

In August, the Justice Department reached a civilian colony with the institution for $250 cardinal — an magnitude that the DOJ touted arsenic being the "largest ever penalty" for violations of a instrumentality known arsenic the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act.

Woodward lauded the settlement, saying successful a connection that it sent "a almighty message" that the Justice Department is "committed to vigorous enforcement."

KKR declined to remark beyond its anterior statement, successful which it said it had  "agreed to a civilian colony that afloat resolves the litigations and each unfastened investigations by the Antitrust Division."

"We powerfully disagree with the Antitrust Division's characterization of this matter.  We judge that our steadfast acted successful bully religion astatine each times nether our anterior filing process, and that it was accordant with manufacture practice," the institution said.

Ironically, erstwhile Woodward made his archetypal quality astatine a property league astatine the Justice Department arsenic subordinate lawyer general, it was to denote a superseding indictment successful a firm antitrust lawsuit involving respective Chinese shipping instrumentality companies.

The indictment charged some individuals and the firm entities, alleging they engaged successful amerciable terms fixing during the pandemic.

"We are holding these Chinese atrocious actors accountable for exploiting the pandemic to capable their ain coffers," Woodward said astatine the time.

The indictment was primitively returned successful December 2025 — conscionable astir 2 months into Woodward's tenure arsenic subordinate lawyer general.

Unlike immoderate of the different firm transgression cases, sources said the Chinese containers lawsuit did not gully immoderate absorption from Woodward, who adjacent joked that the unit had "snuck 1 past" him.

In:

• United States Department of Justice