Ryan Crosswell for Congress - Marine, Federal Prosecutor, Public Servant

Meet Ryan Crosswell

Ryan Crosswell has spent his life in public service, dedicating himself to his country and the values that shaped him growing up in Pennsylvania.

As the proud son of a special education teacher and small business owner, Ryan learned the values of fairness, education, compassion, and perseverance at a young age. He started working in his father’s Coca-Cola warehouse at age 12, which taught him the dignity of a hard day’s work. In high school, Ryan was a competitive runner and wrestler, and he has kept up as an avid runner ever since.

After 9/11, Ryan felt the call to serve, so he joined the United States Marine Corps, where he earned his commission and served as a defense counsel, representing fellow Marines in some of the military’s toughest cases. That experience deepened his belief in due process, justice, and the rule of law. His experience there and the principles he learned have served as his north star throughout the rest of his career. Ryan still serves as a Lt. Col. in the Marine Corps Reserve.

Ryan became a federal prosecutor, serving in Baton Rouge, San Diego, and Washington, D.C. He prosecuted fraudsters, violent criminals, and drug traffickers, always guided by his oath and the principle of justice being served fair and equally.

Most recently, Ryan served in the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section, where he investigated public officials in both parties who abused their power. When he was pressured to drop a case against a politician charged with corruption because he was a political ally of Donald Trump, Ryan resigned rather than compromise the rule of law. Doing what’s right and following his oath to the Constitution has always mattered more to him than protecting his job.

Now, Ryan is running for Congress to serve once again, this time to fight for working people, defend American democracy, and bring integrity back to our government.

Ryan knows that Washington is failing Pennsylvanians right now. As working people here struggle to get by and afford the rising cost of living, D.C. politicians are making the problem worse. They’re threatening the Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits Pennsylvanians rely on to make ends meet, while enriching themselves by profiting from their positions and giving their billionaire donors another massive tax cut at the expense of the middle class.

In Congress, Ryan will work to lower costs for hard-working Pennsylvanians, protect their Social Security and Medicare benefits, and fight political corruption and attacks on our rights and freedoms. And he’ll always stand up for what’s right, even when it’s hard.

Why I’m Running

I’m running for Congress because it’s time to stand up for our country again. As a Marine and then a federal prosecutor, I’ve spent my life in service to this country. But when Donald Trump tried to get the prosecutors in my section to use the Department of Justice as a weapon against his enemies, that was something I would never do, so I stepped down. And now, I’m fighting back. To stop big tech and a handful of billionaires from taking our money and our data. To stop Ryan Mackenzie from rigging the economy so the rich get richer but everyday Pennsylvanians have to work harder than ever just to get by. And to stop the biggest threat our Democracy has ever known, even if he’s the President of the United States. I’m Ryan Crosswell. It’s time to stand up for the country we love. Let’s do it together.

My Resignation Letter

Dear Attorney General Bondi:

On February 14, 2025, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove directed me and my colleagues at the Public Integrity Section to attend a Microsoft Teams meeting. During that meeting, acting DAG Bove ordered us to identify two Trial Attorneys to sign a motion to dismiss the indictment against New York City Mayor Eric Adams without prejudice. Four days carlier, in a letter to the then-acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, acting DAG Bove acknowledged that leadership at the Department of Justice reached this conclusion to dismiss the indictment “without assessing the strength of the evidence or the legal theories on which the case is based.” During our Teams Meeting, acting DAG Bove alluded to our lower position in the chain of command and suggested that whoever agreed to sign the motion would be rewarded with a position of leadership. He also made clear that there would be professional consequences if the motion was not filed, referencing the actions he took against the career prosecutors in the Southern District of New York who refused to carry out his orders.

I write to notify you that I am resigning as a Trial Attorney with the Public Integrity Section and as an employee with the Department, effective immediately. This is an extremely difficult decision. I have been a federal prosecutor for ten years. I love this job. I love representing my country in federal court. And I love my former colleagues, whose integrity and courage reflects the Department’s best traditions and gives me hope for our section’s future. I cannot work for someone who invokes leadership after forcing dedicated public servants to choose between termination and a dismissal so plainly at odds with core prosecutorial principles. Acting DAG Bove demanded the signature of two Public Integrity Section Trial Attorneys to add legitimacy to a motion that he admitted was not based on the facts or the law. Five of our supervising attorneys resigned rather than convey that order. And many more career prosecutors may have lost their jobs, had a sixth career prosecutor not stepped in to protect the section.

I cannot fathom how anyone would do this to the public servants he is supposed to be leading. And the damage done was not limited to two offices – it appalled prosecutors throughout the Department and our alumni. I do not know whether you will view this as a compliment or a criticism – a fact that underscores why I can no longer serve the Department that I love. But I do know that ensuring justice and protecting our citizens depends entirely on the public servants serving in the Department. You will fail without their support, and they will fail without yours.

It has been the greatest privilege of my life to stand up at the start of every case and announce to the Court, “Ryan Crosswell, on behalf of the United States.” I pray that the Department of Justice remains dedicated to upholding the rule of law evenly, without fear or favor.

Sincerely,

Ryan R. Crosswell Trial Attorney Public Integrity Section Criminal Division U.S. Department of Justice