On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed more than a dozen Justice Department lawyers involved in two criminal cases against him.
The firings came after Acting Attorney General James McHenry, a Trump appointee, determined that these lawyers could not be trusted to carry out the President’s agenda due to their roles in prosecuting him. McHenry cited Trump’s authority as chief executive under the U.S. Constitution to justify the dismissals.
The lawyers had worked with Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led the federal prosecutions against Trump. These cases were dropped following the President’s November election. Smith resigned from the department earlier this month.
The firings coincided with an internal review launched by Ed Martin, a top federal prosecutor and Trump appointee, into the use of felony obstruction charges in cases related to the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol attack. This review follows a Supreme Court ruling that raised the legal standard for obstruction charges, leading to their dismissal in several cases.
These moves signal the Trump administration’s determination to act on threats of retribution against prosecutors who investigated Trump and his allies. Many of Trump’s supporters remain highly critical of the Justice Department after allegations of national security and election-related crimes against him.
This development follows the removal of up to 20 senior Justice Department officials, including ethics chief Bradley Weinsheimer and former public corruption head Corey Amundson, who worked closely with Smith. Amundson announced his resignation on Monday.
These actions come ahead of a Senate vote on Trump’s attorney general nominee, Pam Bondi, scheduled for Wednesday.
Smith, appointed by former Attorney General Merrick Garland, had brought cases against Trump for allegedly retaining classified documents at his Florida club and attempting to interfere with the 2020 election certification. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges, claiming the cases represent a political weaponization of the legal system. Smith dropped both cases after Trump’s election, citing a policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
