Skip to main content

Politicians make promises on their stump — we watch and hold them accountable.

Help keep the record honest →Create an account
PartialGovernment Reform, Ethics & Democracy

Biden pledged to issue an executive order to prevent the White House from improperly influencing Justice Department investigations or prosecutions, and to strengthen whistleblower laws so that any federal employee who learns of an improper attempt to influence a DOJ investigation or prosecution knows how to report it and receives full protection against retaliation by anyone.

Sources (click to view full provenance)

Propose an edit to this promise's details

Suggest a sourced correction to the promise text, topic, scope, significance, or dates. Changing the promise text requires a source. Your suggestion is reviewed before it changes the record.

Sign in to suggest a correction

Free — it takes a minute. New here? Create an account and complete the Contributor Agreement once.

Assessments

evidence-backed verdicts

These are sourced verdicts from fact-checkers or community evidence reviews — not opinions.

PartialFact-checker reviewConfidence: 80%

Biden's first-day Executive Order 13989 (Jan. 20, 2021) required every executive-branch appointee to pledge conduct that 'precludes improper interference' with DOJ investigative or prosecutorial decisions, and a July 21, 2021 White House Counsel memorandum barred White House staff from discussing specific pending investigations or cases with DOJ absent rare and exceptional circumstances. That delivered the promised anti-interference safeguard, partly through a binding counsel policy rather than a stand-alone executive order. The second element - strengthening whistleblower laws so any federal employee who reports an improper attempt to influence a DOJ investigation receives full protection against retaliation - was not enacted into law during his 2021-2025 term. The interference-prevention half was substantially kept; the whistleblower-statute half was not.

Your opinion on this assessment(clearly labeled opinion)

Sign in to vote.

Discussion

community opinions

Comments are user opinions — not verdicts. They do not affect the official assessment.

Sign in to join the discussion.

Propose a correction

community accountability

See an error in the promise text, status, significance, or missing source? Submit a sourced correction — a reviewer will evaluate and apply it if accurate. Your submission must cite evidence; unsourced changes are not accepted.

Sign in or create an account to propose a correction.

Debate

sourced community arguments

These are sourced community arguments — not StumpWatch assessments. Each cites a source and is community-contributed; it does not change the official status or rating above.

No arguments yet

Be the first to weigh in. Every argument cites a source and is reviewed before it publishes. Create an account to add one and help keep this promise honest.

Add a sourced argument

Cite a source for your point. Submissions are held for reviewer approval before they appear.

Sign in or create an account to add an argument.

StumpWatch is live, and the record is still growing. Many promises and positions aren’t tracked yet, and some features are still in beta. Add a sourced promise and help keep the record honest.

Help keep the record honest →