Trump administration has dismissed over a dozen Justice Department lawyers who were involved in prosecuting cases against former President Donald Trump, according to an official statement.
Acting Attorney General James McHenry, a Trump appointee, justified the firings by stating that the attorneys could not be trusted to implement the president’s agenda, citing their significant roles in pursuing legal actions against Trump.
In a termination letter seen by Reuters, McHenry referenced Trump’s constitutional authority as chief executive to validate the decision. The affected attorneys had worked under Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led two federal cases against Trump before both were dropped following Trump’s election victory in November. Smith resigned from the Justice Department earlier this month.
The move coincided with an internal review launched by Ed Martin, the Trump-appointed top federal prosecutor in Washington, into the use of felony obstruction charges against individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. This review comes after a Supreme Court ruling last year raised the legal threshold for such charges, prompting their dismissal in several cases.
This marks a significant shake-up within the Justice Department as Trump continues to pursue retribution against those who prosecuted him and his allies during his time out of office. Trump has long been critical of the Justice Department, accusing it of bias and claiming that the cases against him were politically motivated.
The dismissals follow earlier reassignments of up to 20 senior career Justice Department officials, including high-ranking ethics and public corruption officials. Corey Amundson, the former chief of the public corruption section, announced his resignation on Monday, citing the reshuffle. These developments come as Trump’s attorney general nominee, Pam Bondi, awaits Senate confirmation, with a vote scheduled for Wednesday.
The dismissed attorneys had worked on cases brought by Smith, including charges against Trump for allegedly retaining classified documents and attempting to interfere with the certification of the 2020 election. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges, maintaining that the cases were an example of legal system “weaponization.” Smith had dropped the cases after Trump’s election win, citing a policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
