Donald Trump Sacks Lawyers That Prosecuted Him At Department Of Justice

More than a dozen officials who worked on Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutions of President Donald Trump reportedly have been sacked because acting Attorney General James McHenry said they could not be trusted to “faithfully” implement the president’s agenda.

McHenry, who is running the DOJ until the Senate confirms Pam Bondi as attorney general, sent a letter to each employee notifying them of their termination, Fox News Digital reported Monday, citing an unnamed Justice Department official.

“Today, Acting Attorney General James McHenry terminated the employment of a number of DOJ officials who played a significant role in prosecuting President Trump,” the official told Fox News Digital. “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,” the official said.

It is not known how many employees received the letter because the names of the individuals were not immediately released.

Smith led the investigations into allegations that Trump interfered with the results of the 2020 election, leading to charges in Washington, D.C., and into Trump’s handling of presidential documents, some deemed classified, at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, leading to charges in that state.

Trump pleaded not guilty in both cases and vehemently denied any wrongdoing. Smith dismissed the cases following Trump’s election victory, citing the DOJ’s policy of not prosecuting a sitting president. Smith had appealed a ruling by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon that dismissed the documents case based on him being unlawfully appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland. An appeal against two Trump co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira is ongoing. Smith resigned Jan. 10.

The reported firings are another signal of a conservative U-turn at the DOJ under Trump. Interim officials replaced a Biden-era memo telling prosecutors to show leniency to some drug offenders with a new policy calling for the pursuit of the most serious charges and the stiffest penalties for all crimes, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. They halted much of the department’s civil-rights and environmental work, and they transferred more than 15 career employees to relatively marginal positions.

Many DOJ employees are on edge as they await Bondi’s Senate confirmation, which could happen as soon as Wednesday. McHenry and Bondi’s chief of staff, Chad Mizelle, are leading the department until then, the Journal reported, along with McHenry’s temporary deputy, Emil Bove.

Some lawyers have been reassigned to a newly formed Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group as Trump officials make immigration enforcement a focus of the DOJ’s work, the Journal reported. That group will look to sue cities and states whose policies run counter to Trump’s immigration initiatives.

Newsmax