The Justice Department has fired multiple employees who worked with Special Counsel Jack Smith on his criminal investigations into President Donald Trump.
Since his inauguration last week, the Trump administration has moved quickly to reshape the federal workforce—including ordering all federal workers back to the office and purging departments of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The most recent order from the top at the DOJ targets lawyers who less than a month ago were tasked with investigating and prosecuting the cases against the new president for mishandling classified documents and interfering in the 2020 presidential election.
“Today, Acting Attorney General James McHenry terminated the employment of a number of DOJ officials who played a significant role in prosecuting President Trump,” an anonymous Justice Department official told multiple publications, including the Associated Press.
ADVERTISEMENT
McHenry, a career DOJ employee who led an immigration unit, stepped in to fill the Cabinet position last week until Pam Bondi, Trump’s nominee for the role, is confirmed by the Senate.
“In light of their actions, the Acting Attorney General does not trust these officials to assist in faithfully implementing the President’s agenda,” the statement added. “This action is consistent with the mission of ending the weaponization of government.”
Trump signed a slew of executive orders on his first day in office, including one aimed at “ending the weaponization of the federal government.” The order directed the DOJ, in addition to other the Securities and Exchange Commision and the Federal Trace Council, to “identify and take appropriate action to correct past misconduct” during former President Biden’s term in office.
Officials did not immediately identify the names of the terminated employees, or confirm how many were fired. Sources told NBC News the fired employees were career prosecutors, who could prove hard to fire due to workplace protections.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
Special Counsel Smith resigned earlier in January after winding down his criminal cases against Trump. His findings in the election interference case were released in a scathing report days later.
