The Trump administration has dismissed over a dozen lawyers from the Justice Department who were involved in prosecuting cases against him, according to an official statement. Acting Attorney General James McHenry, a Trump appointee, defended the firings, stating that the attorneys couldn’t be trusted to carry out the president’s agenda due to their roles in pursuing legal action against Trump.
In a termination letter seen by Reuters, McHenry cited Trump’s constitutional authority as president to justify the decision. The lawyers had worked under Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led two federal cases against Trump before both were dropped following his election win in November. Smith resigned from the Justice Department earlier this month.
This move comes amid an internal review by Ed Martin, the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney in Washington, into the use of felony obstruction charges in relation to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. The review follows a Supreme Court ruling that raised the legal threshold for such charges, leading to their dismissal in several cases.
The dismissals reflect a broader shake-up within the Justice Department as Trump continues to target those who prosecuted him and his allies during his time out of office. He has long criticized the Justice Department, claiming that the cases against him were politically motivated.
These actions follow previous reassignment of up to 20 senior career officials, including high-ranking ethics and public corruption officials. Corey Amundson, former head of the public corruption section, resigned on Monday, citing the ongoing reshuffle. The developments come as Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, awaits Senate confirmation, with a vote scheduled for January 29th.
