Additional Coverage:
Justice Department Prosecutors Fired in Apparent Retaliation for Jan. 6 Riot Cases
At least three Justice Department prosecutors involved in cases related to the January 6th insurrection have been abruptly dismissed. Sources close to the situation confirmed the firings took place on Friday, with one dismissal letter, signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi, simply stating the employee was “removed from federal service effective immediately,” offering no further explanation.
The identities of the fired prosecutors, one of whom was stationed overseas, remain undisclosed. However, a federal law enforcement official characterized the dismissals as “horrifying,” expressing concern for the chilling effect this could have on other career prosecutors.
The official lamented the loss of experienced professionals, stating, “No one is safe from this administration’s whims and impulses. And the public certainly is not served by the continued brain drain of DOJ — we are losing the best among us every day.”
These firings appear to be the latest move in a pattern of retaliatory actions against officials who pursued cases related to the January 6th attack. Earlier this year, several probationary prosecutors and six senior FBI executives involved in Jan. 6 cases were also dismissed. This marks the first instance, however, of career prosecutors being ousted for their work on these cases.
This development comes in the wake of President Trump’s pardoning of 1,500 individuals involved in the January 6th Capitol riots and the subsequent dismissal of charges against the president himself, despite Special Counsel Jack Smith’s earlier assertion of sufficient evidence for a conviction. The Justice Department has not yet commented on the firings.