President Donald Trump’s administration has fired over a dozen Department Justice (DOJ) lawyers who brought two criminal cases against him, an official said, as the Republican moves swiftly to exert greater control over the department.
The officials were fired after Acting Attorney General James McHenry, a Trump appointee, concluded they “could not be trusted to faithfully implement the President’s agenda because of their significant role in prosecuting the President,” a Justice Department official said.
McHenry cited Trump’s power as chief executive under the United States Constitution to justify the firings, according to a copy of the termination letter seen by Reuters.
The lawyers worked with Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led the two federal prosecutions of Trump that the department dropped after his November election. Smith resigned from the department earlier this month.
News of the firings came the same day that Ed Martin, the top federal prosecutor in Washington and a Trump appointee, opened an internal review into the use of a felony obstruction charge in prosecutions of people accused of taking part in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The US Supreme Court raised the legal bar for that offense in a 6-3 ruling last year, prompting prosecutors to drop the charge in several cases.
The moves reflect a willingness by the Trump administration to follow through on threats to seek retribution against prosecutors who pursued 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 the president of national security- and election-related crimes.
