DOJ Officials Halt Meta Drug-Sales Criminal Probe as Zuckerberg Shapes Trump's AI Pushback

Top Justice Department officials ordered career prosecutors in Virginia to cease a criminal investigation into Meta's role in facilitating illegal drug sales, with leadership now weighing a civil fine or non-prosecution agreement, per Bloomberg Law. The article attributes the intervention to Mark Zuckerberg's 'core role shaping President Donald Trump's strategy to counter growing backlash over the safety of AI technology.' Meta executives had been subpoenaed to testify before the company's legal team escalated the matter to political appointees who shelved the case.