Autocracy in America Rise of the Trump Loyalist
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Jan 30, 2026 Kathleen Walters, a former IRS privacy chief who resigned rather than break the law. Don Moynihan, a University of Michigan public policy professor who studies civil service and reform. They discuss principled resignation over data requests. They trace the history of merit-based hiring, recent politicized hiring practices, mass departures and legal routes for firings, and threats to public services and elections.
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Resignation Over An Illegal Data Request
- Kathleen Walters resigned rather than approve a DHS request to share sensitive tax data on millions of immigrants.
- She left 23 days before early retirement to avoid facilitating what lawyers said was unlawful.
Replacing 'No' Lawyers With Compliant Ones
- Donald Moynihan says the administration is breaking civil service norms and replacing lawyers who say no with ones who say yes.
- That strategy systematically erodes legal constraints and institutional checks.
Hiring Process Tailored To Loyalty
- New hiring processes ask applicants to pledge service to President Trump and involve political appointees in civil-service selections.
- That removes neutral hiring barriers and increases politicization of career roles.