Rachel Maddow Releases Book on Justice Department History

Rachel Maddow, host of the Rachel Maddow show on MS NOW, released a new book titled Department of Fate: The Promise, the Power, and the Collapse of America's Most consequential Institution. In the work and accompanying interviews, Maddow argues that the United States Department of Justice has never been entirely independent of political influence.

To support her thesis, Maddow cites historical examples such as Attorney General Richard Olney's use of federal power to suppress railroad strikes. She describes the current state of the department as an "incredibly diminished thing" that has lost thousands of employees.

Maddow examines whether the actions of Donald Trump toward the department are unique or consistent with its historical trajectory. She contends that Congress must play a role in rebuilding the institution.