DOJ fires federal lawyers involved in Trump’s criminal cases

The US Justice Department Tuesday said it had fired several career lawyers who worked on President Trump‘s criminal cases.

The employees worked with special counsel Jack Smith on investigations involving Trump’s role in overturning the 2020 presidential election and his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Smith resigned from the department earlier this month. He dropped both cases after Trump’s election, citing a longstanding policy against prosecuting a sitting president.

What did the Justice Department say?

“Today, Acting Attorney General James McHenry terminated the employment of a number of DOJ officials who played a significant role in prosecuting President Trump,” said a statement from a Justice Department official.

“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,” it added.

The choice of wording in the statement reflects the deep suspicion with which Trump and his allies view the Justice Department, after prosecutors accused the president of national security and election-related crimes.

Trump administration breaks norms

The firing of career prosecutors who worked on Smith’s team is consistent with the Trump administration’s determination to purge the government of employees it deems disloyal to the president.

Career prosecutors typically stay on with the department across presidential administrations and are not punished for their involvement in sensitive investigations.

The Trump administration has already reassigned as many as 20 senior career officials at the Justice Department.

On his first day in office, Trump issued roughly 1,500 pardons and commuted the sentences of other supporters in connection with the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, when thousands of them stormed the building amid his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against him.

dh/rm (AP, Reuters, dpa)