United States of America (USA) President, Donald Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump has fired over a dozen Justice Department lawyers who were involved in prosecuting two criminal cases against him. The decision, announced on Monday, followed Acting Attorney General James McHenry’s assessment that these officials could not be trusted to implement the President’s agenda due to their role in pursuing charges against him.
In a termination letter, McHenry justified the dismissals, citing the President’s constitutional authority as the nation’s chief executive. The lawyers, it was revealed, had collaborated with Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led federal prosecutions against Trump before the Justice Department dropped the cases following Trump’s reelection in November. Smith had resigned earlier in the month.
The dismissals coincided with an internal review launched by Ed Martin, a Trump-appointed federal prosecutor in Washington, into the use of felony obstruction charges against individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. This follows a 2024 Supreme Court decision that raised the legal threshold for such charges, leading to their dismissal in multiple cases.
These actions underscore the Trump administration’s commitment to addressing what it perceives as politically motivated investigations by the Justice Department during his time out of office. Trump and his allies have expressed deep distrust of the department, accusing it of weaponizing the legal system against him and his supporters.
In a related development, up to 20 senior career Justice Department officials, including Bradley Weinsheimer, the top ethics official, and Corey Amundson, former chief of the public corruption section, have been reassigned. Amundson, who had advised Smith’s team, announced his resignation on Monday.
These shake-ups come as Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, awaits a Senate panel vote on Wednesday. Bondi’s confirmation would further consolidate Trump’s control over the Justice Department.
Special Counsel Jack Smith, appointed by former Attorney General Merrick Garland, had previously pursued cases alleging that Trump illegally retained classified documents at his Florida estate and interfered with the certification of the 2020 election. Trump denied all charges, describing them as politically motivated. Smith later dropped the cases, citing the policy of not prosecuting a sitting president.
