How to Survive a Purge: The Secret Diary of a DoJ Staffer

The mass firings at government agencies are still shocking, if not surprising. But for those inside the federal buildings, still trying to uphold their oath (and the rule of law), the emotional toll is all-encompassing. For 1843, one of the embattled employees—who helped prosecute January 6 insurrectionists, no less—describes how it feels inside the Justice Department these days.

I lie awake at night going back and forth about what I should do, and have to give myself a pep talk to pull out of it. I still have my job and mean to keep it, for the moment at least. I’m doing my best to sidestep the tripwires. In practice, that means “going into incognito mode” as one colleague put it. I no longer say good morning to strangers. I’m not applying for promotions. I speak up less. Before, I never hesitated to push back if a superior took a position I didn’t agree with: my job is to tell it to them straight. But more and more, I find myself biting my tongue. In order to hold on to my job, I’m having to do it less effectively.