CBS: Justice Dept.'s No. 3 official has pushed back on corporate prosecutions

Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, the third-ranking official at the Justice Department, has repeatedly stepped into pending criminal cases against corporations, CBS News reported Tuesday. The network said it spoke with nearly two dozen people, all of whom asked not to be named. The Justice Department did not make Woodward available for an interview. ¹

Observers told CBS he has developed a pattern of steering those cases, often against the recommendations of career prosecutors and even other political appointees. The Justice Department's own website calls him "the third highest-ranking official at the Department of Justice." He was confirmed by the Senate in October 2025. ¹³

'No jail big enough for a corporation'

According to multiple sources, including some who were in the room, Woodward often says "you can't put a company in jail" or that there is "no jail big enough for a corporation." Those sources also said he pushes prosecutors toward softer outcomes. Examples are deferred prosecution agreements, in which a company avoids charges if it meets conditions, and civil settlements. ¹

A Justice Department spokesperson said Woodward "does not support new and novel theories of prosecution against companies or individuals." The spokesperson added that his view is that individuals break the law, so prosecuting individuals "should always be prioritized." ¹

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zealously prosecute corporate actors that defraud taxpayers and the United States of America.

The Illinois mining case

CBS called the clearest recent example the case of M-Class Mining, an Illinois company. It allegedly failed to evacuate workers during an August 2021 underground fire or alert federal regulators. ¹

A federal indictment in August charged four executives with conspiring to defraud the United States, along with other counts including obstruction. ¹ The Justice Department's environmental crimes bulletin says the charges were filed Aug. 4, 2026. It lists four individuals as defendants and does not list the company. ²

CBS reported that senior political and career officials at the Labor and Justice departments had expressed support for charging the company itself. The wire copy available to us was cut off before it described what happened next. We have not confirmed how Woodward handled that decision. ¹

A thin record in corporate crime

Woodward's background is mostly in civil law. From 2010 to 2020 he worked at the law firm Akin Gump, primarily on civil matters. ¹ After that, he represented several people in Trump's orbit, including Walt Nauta and Peter Navarro. He also represented Kelly Meggs, an Oath Keeper convicted of seditious conspiracy over Jan. 6, whose sentence Trump later commuted. ¹

Inside the department, CBS reported, his views have shocked many lawyers. Prosecutors told CBS he asked them to write memos on basic points, including how the department can charge a company at all. A 1909 Supreme Court case settled that companies can be held criminally liable for crimes by employees acting within their jobs. ¹

In October, Woodward also asked antitrust lawyers to take temporary posts in the new National Fraud Enforcement Division. He left that talk early, saying the president was calling. A department spokesperson did not dispute that account. ¹

Why it matters

That matters because the cases at issue involve safety, fraud and price-fixing. Whether companies face charges decides whether the powerful face the same rules as everyone else. No Democratic lawmaker had responded in the reporting we reviewed. Woodward's defenders describe him as smart, deeply engaged and willing to take the hits that come with leadership. ¹

The Record

1. Aug 13, 2021A fire ignites in the MC#1 Mine in Franklin County, Illinois, operated by M-Class Mining ²
2. Aug 4, 2026Prosecutors charge four individuals in a nine-count indictment over the mine fire; the company is not listed as a defendant ²
3. Nov 10, 2026CBS News reports Woodward has intervened in pending corporate criminal cases ¹

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<h2>CBS: Justice Dept.&#39;s No. 3 official has pushed back on corporate prosecutions</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Investigations Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/cbs-justice-dept-s-no-3-official-has-pushed-back-on-corporate-prosecutions">The GOP Files</a> on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.</em></p> <p>Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, the third-ranking official at the Justice Department, has repeatedly stepped into pending criminal cases against corporations, CBS News reported Tuesday. The network said it spoke with nearly two dozen people, all of whom asked not to be named. The Justice Department did not make Woodward available for an interview.</p> <p>Observers told CBS he has developed a pattern of steering those cases, often against the recommendations of career prosecutors and even other political appointees. The Justice Department&#39;s own website calls him &quot;the third highest-ranking official at the Department of Justice.&quot; He was confirmed by the Senate in October 2025.</p> <h2>&#39;No jail big enough for a corporation&#39;</h2> <p>According to multiple sources, including some who were in the room, Woodward often says &quot;you can&#39;t put a company in jail&quot; or that there is &quot;no jail big enough for a corporation.&quot; Those sources also said he pushes prosecutors toward softer outcomes. Examples are deferred prosecution agreements, in which a company avoids charges if it meets conditions, and civil settlements.</p> <p>A Justice Department spokesperson said Woodward &quot;does not support new and novel theories of prosecution against companies or individuals.&quot; The spokesperson added that his view is that individuals break the law, so prosecuting individuals &quot;should always be prioritized.&quot;</p> <blockquote><p>zealously prosecute corporate actors that defraud taxpayers and the United States of America.</p><p>&mdash; Colin McDonald, Assistant Attorney General, Justice Department, in an order to National Fraud Enforcement Division prosecutors</p></blockquote> <h2>The Illinois mining case</h2> <p>CBS called the clearest recent example the case of M-Class Mining, an Illinois company. It allegedly failed to evacuate workers during an August 2021 underground fire or alert federal regulators.</p> <p>A federal indictment in August charged four executives with conspiring to defraud the United States, along with other counts including obstruction. The Justice Department&#39;s environmental crimes bulletin says the charges were filed Aug. 4, 2026. It lists four individuals as defendants and does not list the company.</p> <p>CBS reported that senior political and career officials at the Labor and Justice departments had expressed support for charging the company itself. The wire copy available to us was cut off before it described what happened next. We have not confirmed how Woodward handled that decision.</p> <h2>A thin record in corporate crime</h2> <p>Woodward&#39;s background is mostly in civil law. From 2010 to 2020 he worked at the law firm Akin Gump, primarily on civil matters. After that, he represented several people in Trump&#39;s orbit, including Walt Nauta and Peter Navarro. He also represented Kelly Meggs, an Oath Keeper convicted of seditious conspiracy over Jan. 6, whose sentence Trump later commuted.</p> <p>Inside the department, CBS reported, his views have shocked many lawyers. Prosecutors told CBS he asked them to write memos on basic points, including how the department can charge a company at all. A 1909 Supreme Court case settled that companies can be held criminally liable for crimes by employees acting within their jobs.</p> <p>In October, Woodward also asked antitrust lawyers to take temporary posts in the new National Fraud Enforcement Division. He left that talk early, saying the president was calling. A department spokesperson did not dispute that account.</p> <h2>Why it matters</h2> <p>That matters because the cases at issue involve safety, fraud and price-fixing. Whether companies face charges decides whether the powerful face the same rules as everyone else. No Democratic lawmaker had responded in the reporting we reviewed. Woodward&#39;s defenders describe him as smart, deeply engaged and willing to take the hits that come with leadership.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/cbs-justice-dept-s-no-3-official-has-pushed-back-on-corporate-prosecutions">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/cbs-justice-dept-s-no-3-official-has-pushed-back-on-corporate-prosecutions.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. CBS News, “Inside the unconventional tenure of Stanley Woodward, DOJ's No. 3” (2026-11-10). cbsnews.com/news/stanley-woodward-department-of-justice-asso
2. U.S. Department of Justice, “Environmental Crimes Bulletin, August 2026” (2026-08-31). justice.gov/enrd/blog/environmental-crimes-bulletin-august-2
3. U.S. Department of Justice, “Meet the Associate Attorney General” (2026-11-10). justice.gov/asg/staff-profile/meet-associate-attorney-genera

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