Washington: President Donald Trump’s administration has fired over a dozen Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers who were involved in two criminal cases against him, an official confirmed, as the Republican administration moved swiftly to exert more control over the department.
The officials were dismissed after Acting Attorney General James McHenry, a Trump appointee, concluded they “could not be trusted to faithfully implement the President’s agenda due to their significant role in prosecuting the President,” a DOJ official said.
McHenry cited Trump’s powers as chief executive under the U.S. Constitution to justify the firings, according to a copy of the termination letter seen by Reuters.
These lawyers had worked with Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led the two federal prosecutions of Trump, which the department dropped after his November election. Smith resigned from the department earlier this month.
The firings came the same day that Ed Martin, the top federal prosecutor in Washington and a Trump appointee, initiated an internal review into the use of a felony obstruction charge in prosecutions of individuals accused of participating in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Trump’s Retaliation Against Prosecutors
These moves reflect the Trump administration’s willingness to follow through on its threats to seek retribution against prosecutors who investigated Trump and his supporters during his four years out of office.
Trump and his allies view the Justice Department with deep suspicion after prosecutors accused him of national security and election-related crimes.
In recent days, the Trump administration had already reassigned up to 20 senior career DOJ officials, including Bradley Weinsheimer, the top ethics official, and Corey Amundson, the former head of the public corruption section, from their roles.
Trump’s Legal Challenges and Cases
Smith, who was appointed by former Attorney General Merrick Garland, accused Trump of illegally retaining classified documents at his Florida social club and attempting to interfere with the certification of the 2020 election.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges and described the cases as a “weaponization” of the legal system.
Smith dropped both cases after Trump’s election, citing a longstanding policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
