John Washington III Calls for an Independent Citizens' Justice Review: 'Who Investigates the Investigators?'

John Washington III put the question in its sharpest form. When the people responsible for enforcing the law are the ones accused of breaking it, he wrote, where does a citizen turn — particularly when a citizen holds evidence of wrongdoing by a government official and the district attorney refuses to pursue the case? 'Who holds the district attorney accountable?' he wrote. 'Who investigates the investigators? And who protects the people when the system refuses to act?'

His answer is a new institution, not a complaint about the old ones. John Washington III called for what he described as an independent pathway to justice that does not depend entirely on the approval of the same government institutions being challenged. Under his proposal, the American people would have the legal right to present credible evidence of criminal wrongdoing to an independent authority, especially where conflicts of interest may exist, and that authority would be empowered to review complaints, investigate where warranted and pursue appropriate legal action — while, he wrote, protecting everyone's constitutional rights.

The principle underneath the proposal, as John Washington III stated it, is that justice should never depend on a person's political connections, government position, wealth or influence, because government derives its authority from the people and the justice system exists to serve the people, not to protect officials from accountability. He called for a serious national conversation about establishing an independent citizens' justice review process, and he closed with the slogans of his 'Question the System' theme: 'Question the system. Demand accountability. Protect the rights of the people.' John Washington III signed the statement as a 2028 presidential candidate.