The Department of Justice announced Monday the dismissal of over a dozen employees involved in the criminal prosecutions of President Donald Trump. This swift action is viewed as retribution against lawyers involved in the investigations, demonstrating an early commitment to actions benefiting the President’s personal interests.
This abrupt termination of career prosecutors from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team highlights the ongoing upheaval within the Justice Department. It reflects the administration’s resolve to eliminate employees deemed disloyal to the President.
This unprecedented move, following the reassignment of numerous senior career officials across various divisions, contradicts the traditional practice of career prosecutors remaining within the department across presidential administrations, irrespective of their involvement in sensitive investigations. These dismissals are effective immediately.
“Today, Acting Attorney General James McHenry terminated the employment of several DOJ officials who played a significant role in prosecuting President Trump,” a Justice Department official stated. “Given their actions, the Acting Attorney General lacks confidence in their ability to faithfully execute the President’s agenda. This action aligns with our mission to end the weaponization of government.”
The identities of the affected prosecutors and the number of those who worked on Trump investigations remaining within the department are currently unknown. The extent to which dismissed prosecutors will challenge their terminations, citing potential violations of federal employee civil service protections, remains unclear.
This action represents the latest attempt to reverse the course of criminal investigations that have long shadowed Trump, culminating in separate indictments that were ultimately dropped without going to trial.
On his first day in office, President Trump issued widespread pardons and sentence commutations to over 1,500 supporters charged in the January 6th Capitol riot. This extensive clemency included individuals convicted of violent attacks on law enforcement and leaders of far-right extremist groups found guilty of plots to maintain Republican control.
Trump has consistently sought control over the Justice Department, which investigated him during his first term and the subsequent four years under Attorney General Merrick Garland. He has repeatedly emphasized his expectation of loyalty from law enforcement, despite their training to prioritize facts, evidence, and the law over politics. He has placed close allies in high-ranking positions, including replacing FBI Director Christopher Wray with Kash Patel.
Trump’s Attorney General nominee, Pam Bondi, stated during her confirmation hearing that she would avoid politicizing the office but didn’t rule out potential investigations into Trump’s adversaries, such as Smith.
Smith resigned from the department earlier this month after submitting a two-volume report on the investigations into Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election and his retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. At least one other key team member, Jay Bratt, also retired this month after serving as a lead prosecutor in the classified documents case.
Both the election interference case and the classified documents prosecution were dropped by Smith’s team after Trump’s November win, in accordance with established Justice Department policy.
Fox News first reported on the firings.
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