A “collective sense of dread” has reportedly emerged among Department of Justice attorneys as former President Donald Trump prepares to reclaim the White House.

With the inauguration scheduled for January 20, many DOJ lawyers are bracing for the return of a president who regularly targeted the agency and its staff during his campaign, but only after the Biden-Harris DOJ targeted him for more than a year in his “Jan. 6 election interference” and classified documents cases.

Insiders told Politico that some career attorneys are already contemplating leaving the DOJ to avoid potential firings, demotions, or intense scrutiny. Trump, known for his criticism of the so-called “deep state,” frequently singled out the DOJ during his first term and has continued to target the agency on the campaign trail after he became the first ex-president to be indicted by federal prosecutors.

He and his allies have hinted at much-needed reforms if he returns to office, fueling concerns among DOJ personnel.

One primary target of Trump’s criticism is Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led investigations into Trump-related cases, including charges that the former president has described as politically motivated.

“Everyone I’ve talked to, mostly lawyers, are losing their minds,” a DOJ attorney told Politico, speaking on condition of anonymity to openly discuss colleagues and dodge retaliation from the incoming president’s circle.

“The fear is that career leadership and career employees everywhere are either going to leave or they’re going to be driven out,” the attorney added.

“We’ve all seen this movie before and it’s going to be worse,” claimed another former DOJ official with experience under Trump and prior administrations. “It will be worse. It’s just a question of how much worse it’s going to be.”

The Justice Department is preparing to grant security clearances to Trump’s incoming team, sparking concerns among staff, particularly those with ties to special counsels Robert Mueller and Smith. With anxieties about being sidelined under a new administration, the selection of Trump’s attorney general is seen as crucial.

Potential candidates range from more conventional figures, indicating moderate changes, to more controversial choices that could lead to significant disruptions, the outlet reported.

“It is absolutely a part of the calculus,” said one former senior DOJ official to Politico. “If you have one of these extreme candidates … you will see a significant amount of career staff say, ‘I don’t want to be a part of this. This is antithetical to who this department is.’

“I think that will absolutely inform whether a good chunk of career staff — whether people stay or go,” the former official said.