“You can’t put a company in jail”: Inside the unconventional tenure of Stanley Woodward, DOJ’s No. 3

November 10, 2026 / 2:22 PM EST / CBS News

Washington — In an address to some members of the Justice Department's Antitrust Division in October, Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward made an unusual pitch.

He wanted to entice the lawyers there to leave their roles and accept temporary stints to help out the National Fraud Enforcement Division, created earlier this year, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the speech.

In a 30-minute talk, he criticized the federal judge overseeing a lawsuit over President Trump's plans to renovate a public golf course in Washington, and told the group to come to him if they ever have a problem with a judge in the future.

But before he could finish his address, he abruptly left, saying he was getting a call from the president.

The speech offered a glimpse of the unusual role Woodward has carved out as the No. 3 official at the Justice Department.

Since taking office last fall, he has become the de facto leader of the Antitrust Division, put his name on controversial court filings that have bewildered some DOJ employees and voiced a strong philosophical opposition to prosecuting corporations that has shocked many inside the…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/