Imagine going to work to mow a lawn or clean a room.
Then you find the full weight of the federal government demanding you hire a lawyer.
WHAT HAPPENED
Todd Blanche now leads the Justice Department.
He says the past probe into Mar-a-Lago went too far.
He claims the case did not just look at the former president.
It also looked at the people who worked for him.
This included staff like gardeners and aides.
These workers were told they needed criminal lawyers just for doing their daily jobs.
The probe is described as much tougher than normal cases.
Blanche says this shows the system was used as a weapon.
WHAT THE EVIDENCE SHOWS
Low-level staff like gardeners and aides were targeted.
- Workers were forced to find and pay for criminal lawyers.
- The probe went beyond what is normal for these cases.
- The current DOJ is now looking at how these past choices were made.
THE BIGGER QUESTION
We have to ask if our justice system is being used to scare regular people.
If a gardener can be pulled into a federal case just because of who they work for, is anyone safe?
This story is about more than just one house in Florida.
It is about whether the government can use its power to hurt people who have nothing to do with politics.
WHAT HAPPENS NOW
The current team at the DOJ is looking back at these cases.
They want to see if the government broke its own rules.
This could change how the law treats private citizens in the future.
It may also lead to new rules to protect workers from being caught in political fights.
WHAT WE STILL DON'T KNOW
How many total staff members were forced to hire lawyers?
- Who paid the legal bills for these low-level workers?
- Will any of the people who led the probe face trouble for these choices?