Sens. Schiff, Durbin, Whitehouse to Bondi: “The Trump Administration’s choices to double down on its politicization of DOJ and elevate those who have actively attacked the rule of law, such as Mr. Wise, are a slap in the face to law enforcement everywhere”
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joined Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) in leading a letter to urge the removal of Department of Justice (DOJ) employee Jared Wise.
Last month, Senator Schiff raised concerns about Jared Wise’s employment at the DOJ and how Wise directly incited violence against law enforcement officers outside the Capitol on January 6.
Wise stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and was charged with multiple felony offenses, including aiding and abetting the assault of police while on Capitol grounds; however, his case was dismissed after President Trump’s blanket pardon of more than 1,500 insurrectionists. Wise was hired as a senior adviser to Ed Martin and the “Weaponization Working Group,” which has recently made headlines for employing intimidating tactics against political foes.
In a letter to Attorney General Bondi, the Senators began by highlighting Wise’s problematic record and urging his dismissal, writing: “We strongly object to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) shameless hiring of Jared Wise as a senior adviser. This is an individual who stormed the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, and was accordingly charged with multiple felony offenses, including assaulting and aiding and abetting the assault of police while on Capitol grounds. Mr. Wise’s hiring serves as yet another example of DOJ’s ongoing efforts to whitewash the lawlessness that occurred on January 6, when a violent mob ransacked the Capitol in an attempted insurrection that led to the deaths of multiple police officers and injuries to more than 140 others. Allowing Mr. Wise to perform any role at DOJ is an affront to those ably serving this country in law enforcement and can only be rectified by his immediate removal.”
The Senators continued by describing Wise’s role in the insurrection per court filings, writing: “According to the complaint in Mr. Wise’s criminal case, he unlawfully entered the Capitol during the insurrection and participated in the assault of law enforcement officers. Body-worn camera footage from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) shows Mr. Wise telling officers: “You guys are disgusting. I’m former—I’m former law enforcement. You’re disgusting. You are the Nazi. You are the Gestapo. You can’t see it. . . . Shame on you! Shame on you! Shame on you!” Once the violent mob began to attack MPD officers holding the line in front of the Upper West Terrace of the Capitol building, Mr. Wise shouted: “Yeah, f*** them! Yeah, kill ‘em!” A grand jury ultimately indicted Mr. Wise on six charges, including civil disorder, disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, assaulting law enforcement officers, and aiding and abetting an assault on law enforcement officers.”
The Senators then contrasted Wise’s conduct with the oath he must uphold without uncertainty, writing: “Mr. Wise lacks the high standard of impartiality required for DOJ officials, and his appointment poses a grave danger to the administration of justice. Upon his appointment, Wise was required to execute an oath of office—the same oath he swore when he began his service with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2004. That oath requires that employees ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States,’ while bearing ‘true faith and allegiance to the same.’ We cannot be confident in Mr. Wise’s ability to uphold this oath, given his documented actions actively participating in the disruption of a peaceful transfer of power and the assault against law enforcement officers at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. He has shown no remorse for this inexcusable conduct—in fact, he has argued he would have been ‘morally justified’ in taking this conduct further. The severity of this conduct is all the more striking considering Mr. Wise’s prior service as an FBI special agent.”
The Senators concluded with a condemnation of the Justice Department under Attorney General Bondi’s leadership and urged Wise’s dismissal, before making a series of information requests, writing: “DOJ’s so-called ‘Weaponization Working Group’ is already a perversion of the Department’s mission to uphold the rule of law and is run by a highly partisan director, Ed Martin. The Trump Administration’s choices to double down on its politicization of DOJ and elevate those who have actively attacked the rule of law, such as Mr. Wise, are a slap in the face to law enforcement everywhere. Americans deserve capable and qualified public servants serving at the Justice Department. Anything less is a risk to our country and weakens our national security and public safety. A transparent explanation regarding the circumstances of this hire and the prompt removal of Jared Wise from his position at the Department of Justice are critical to maintaining public trust in the Department.”
The full text of the letter can be found here and below.
Dear Attorney General Bondi:
We strongly object to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) shameless hiring of Jared Wise as a senior adviser. This is an individual who stormed the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, and was accordingly charged with multiple felony offenses, including assaulting and aiding and abetting the assault of police while on Capitol grounds. Mr. Wise’s hiring serves as yet another example of DOJ’s ongoing efforts to whitewash the lawlessness that occurred on January 6, when a violent mob ransacked the Capitol in an attempted insurrection that led to the deaths of multiple police officers and injuries to more than 140 others. Allowing Mr. Wise to perform any role at DOJ is an affront to those ably serving this country in law enforcement and can only be rectified by his immediate removal.
As you know, President Trump pardoned more than 1,500 individuals involved with the attempted insurrection on January 6, 2021, leading to the dismissal of approximately 300 pending cases against those still awaiting trial or sentencing. Immediately following this mass pardon, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, at the direction of then Interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin, began filing motions to dismiss these cases, and Mr. Wise’s case was among them. As Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats noted in a April 1 letter to you, these pardons were granted even though most, if not all, of the individuals subject to the President’s order would not qualify for a pardon under longstanding DOJ guidelines. Even worse, DOJ moved to dismiss these cases without concern for the ongoing threat these individuals pose to public safety and despite clear evidence that many of those pardoned maintained lengthy criminal records, including prior convictions or pending charges for sexual assault, sexual abuse of a minor, domestic violence, manslaughter, production of child sexual abuse material, and drug trafficking.
According to the complaint in Mr. Wise’s criminal case, he unlawfully entered the Capitol during the insurrection and participated in the assault of law enforcement officers. Body-worn camera footage from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) shows Mr. Wise telling officers: “You guys are disgusting. I’m former—I’m former law enforcement. You’re disgusting. You are the Nazi. You are the Gestapo. You can’t see it. . . . Shame on you! Shame on you! Shame on you!” Once the violent mob began to attack MPD officers holding the line in front of the Upper West Terrace of the Capitol building, Mr. Wise shouted: “Yeah, fuck them! Yeah, kill ‘em!” A grand jury ultimately indicted Mr. Wise on six charges, including civil disorder, disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, assaulting law enforcement officers, and aiding and abetting an assault on law enforcement officers.
Mr. Wise lacks the high standard of impartiality required for DOJ officials, and his appointment poses a grave danger to the administration of justice. Upon his appointment, Wise was required to execute an oath of office—the same oath he swore when he began his service with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2004. That oath requires that employees “support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” while bearing “true faith and allegiance to the same.” We cannot be confident in Mr. Wise’s ability to uphold this oath, given his documented actions actively participating in the disruption of a peaceful transfer of power and the assault against law enforcement officers at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. He has shown no remorse for this inexcusable conduct—in fact, he has argued he would have been “morally justified” in taking this conduct further. The severity of this conduct is all the more striking considering Mr. Wise’s prior service as an FBI special agent.
DOJ’s so-called “Weaponization Working Group” is already a perversion of the Department’s mission to uphold the rule of law and is run by a highly partisan director, Ed Martin. The Trump Administration’s choices to double down on its politicization of DOJ and elevate those who have actively attacked the rule of law, such as Mr. Wise, are a slap in the face to law enforcement everywhere. Americans deserve capable and qualified public servants serving at the Justice Department. Anything less is a risk to our country and weakens our national security and public safety.
A transparent explanation regarding the circumstances of this hire and the prompt removal of Jared Wise from his position at the Department of Justice are critical to maintaining public trust in the Department. To that end, we request the immediate termination of Mr. Wise’s employment and ask that you provide the following information and materials no later than September 17, 2025.
- A list of all DOJ officials who proposed, reviewed, or approved Mr. Wise’s appointment at DOJ.
- All documents and communications dated or occurring after January 20, 2025, between Mr. Martin and Mr. Wise relating to the charges against Mr. Wise for his conduct at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, or his pardon from President Trump.
- All documents and communications dated or occurring after January 20, 2025, between Mr. Martin and Mr. Wise relating to any prospective role for Mr. Wise at DOJ or its components.
- A detailed description of Mr. Wise’s relationship with Mr. Martin while Mr. Wise was a defendant subject to charges for his conduct at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
- A detailed description of Mr. Wise’s role at DOJ, including all officials to whom he reports.
- A detailed description of all so-called “weaponization” matters within Mr. Wise’s portfolio at DOJ.
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