President Donald Trump’s interim attorney general has abruptly dismissed over a dozen officials who were involved in the two criminal cases against him, marking the administration’s latest act of retaliation against perceived political adversaries.
Acting Attorney General James McHenry informed the officials, who were part of former special counsel Jack Smith’s team, that the Department of Justice no longer had confidence in their ability to advance Trump’s agenda. Fox News was the first to report on the firings.
A DOJ spokesperson stated on Monday, “Today, Acting Attorney General James McHenry terminated the employment of a number of DOJ officials who played a significant role in prosecuting President Trump. In light of their actions, the Acting Attorney General does not trust these officials to assist in faithfully implementing the President’s agenda. This action is consistent with the mission of ending the weaponization of government.”
Although the names of those dismissed were not immediately disclosed, The New York Times reported that many of them appeared to be career lawyers at the DOJ. The outlet noted that the firings seemingly violated civil service protections for non-political employees.
These firings are part of Trump’s ongoing efforts to reshape the federal government in his own image, removing individuals who are perceived to be against his agenda, even if such actions potentially violate federal laws. The White House has already removed at least 17 inspectors general from various government agencies and placed all federal diversity, equity, and inclusion staff on leave.
Additionally, Trump’s team also reassigned the Justice Department’s senior career ethics official, Bradley Weinsheimer, to a less influential role. Weinsheimer, who had served at the agency for three decades, was appointed during Trump’s first term by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
This decision is just one of many similar efforts by the administration to replace agency veterans with loyalists. Jack Smith’s team, consisting of around 40 lawyers, was investigating Trump on two cases related to alleged hoarding of classified documents and involvement in the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. Despite federal indictments in both cases, they were abandoned after Trump’s presidency began.
Smith resigned shortly before Trump’s term began after submitting his final report, which concluded that there was enough evidence to secure a conviction on the charges related to the January 6 insurrection if they had gone to trial.
