Trump DOJ Cracks Down on Prosecutors Who Worked for Jack Smith: 'You Are Removed from Federal Service Effective Immediately'
Acting Attorney General James McHenry has informed over a dozen Justice Department officials connected to criminal investigations involving President Donald Trump that they are being removed from their positions.
These officials, who were part of special counsel Jack Smith's team, were notified in a letter from McHenry stating they cannot be “trusted” to “faithfully” support the new administration’s agenda, according to a CNN report on Monday.
“This letter provides official notice that you are being removed from your position at the Department of Justice, and from the federal service, effective immediately,” the letter began.
McHenry further wrote, “You played a significant role in prosecuting President Trump. The proper functioning of government critically depends on the trust superior officials place in their subordinates.”
“Given your significant role in prosecuting the President, I do not believe that the leadership of the Department can trust you to assist in implementing the President’s agenda faithfully,” he added.
Jack Smith, who was appointed in 2022 by then-Biden administration Attorney General Merrick Garland, led investigations into Trump concerning his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election and purported mishandling of classified documents. However, the case related to the classified documents was dismissed in July, and the election fraud case was dropped in November.
Critics of the Biden administration, particularly conservatives, have long claimed that the investigations represented “lawfare” against a political rival. The timing of Smith’s appointment, just three days after Trump announced his 2024 presidential run, further fueled these accusations.
A Justice Department official echoed McHenry’s rationale in remarks to Politico, asserting that the employees from Smith’s team could not be relied upon to execute the Trump administration’s goals.
“Acting Attorney General James McHenry made this decision because he did not believe these officials could be trusted to faithfully implement the president’s agenda because of their significant role in prosecuting the president,” the official said.
For many, this move is viewed as a straightforward decision. With Trump now in office, retaining staff who previously worked to prosecute him might appear counterproductive.
Predictably, Democrats and media outlets aligned with them have voiced their objections.
Norm Eisen, who previously served as ethics counsel in President Barack Obama’s administration, criticized the dismissals as “spurious” in comments to Politico.
“The grounds are a hodgepodge of disinformation and distortion of facts and law alike,” Eisen remarked.
He further explained, “The president and his appointee have the power to hire and fire federal employees, but it must be done within the bounds of the rule of law.”
Eisen also pointed out the legal challenges surrounding the termination of career federal employees, noting, “The legal hurdles are particularly steep for career federal employees, many of whom appeared to be included here. This will almost certainly trigger litigation and likely will be met with extreme judicial skepticism.”
In essence, Trump may find himself facing some of these staffers again, but this time under entirely different legal circumstances.