Law enforcement Quote by Matt Taibbi
““The key thing, the one thing that almost every current and former federal prosecutor who lived through this period talks about, is that in the early years of the Obama administration, a huge premium was placed on not losing. Breuer and Holder acted like the corporate stewards they were and gravitated toward a bottom-line strategy of prosecution. They became attracted to a cost-benefit-analysis vision of law enforcement, where the key questions weren’t Who did what? and What the hell should we do about it? but Will we win? and How badly will the press screw us if we lose?””
About This Quote
Source Article: Political Analysis, 2014
Prosecutors in early Obama years prioritized winning over justice, using cost‑benefit analysis and media concerns.
In simple terms: Prosecutors valued wins over justice.
Balance outcomes with integrity.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- policy reform
- public accountability
- media relations
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How to ensure fair prosecutions?
- What role should media play?
May overstate partisan bias.