Trump terminates Justice Department attorneys who are associated with his prosecutions

In an effort to exert more control, the Trump administration has dismissed more than a dozen Justice Department attorneys who were working on his prosecution.

More than a dozen Justice agency attorneys who filed two criminal charges against President Donald Trump were dismissed by his administration on Monday, according to an official, as the Republican quickly attempts to acquire more authority over the agency.

According to a Justice Department official, the officials were dismissed after Trump appointment Acting Attorney General James McHenry determined they “could not be trusted to faithfully implement the President’s agenda because of their significant role in prosecuting the President.”

According to a copy of the termination letter that was viewed, McHenry justified the firings by pointing to Trump’s authority as chief executive under the US Constitution.

Special Counsel Jack Smith, who oversaw the two federal charges of Trump that the department canceled following his election in November, collaborated with the attorneys. Earlier this month, Smith left the department.

According to a source familiar with the situation, the firings were announced on the same day that Ed Martin, the top federal prosecutor in Washington and a Trump appointee, launched an internal investigation into the use of a felony obstruction charge in prosecutions of those suspected of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

Prosecutors dropped the charge in other cases after the US Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision last year, lifted the legal standard for that offense.

The actions show that the Trump administration is prepared to carry out its pledges to get revenge on the prosecutors who hunted down Trump and his followers throughout his four years in office.

Following the president’s accusations of national security and election-related offenses by prosecutors, Trump and his supporters have a very negative opinion of the Justice Department.

The actions on Monday followed the removal of up to 20 senior career Justice Department officials from their positions by the Trump administration, including former head of the public corruption section Corey Amundson and top ethics official Bradley Weinsheimer.

Amundson announced his retirement on Monday. His division advised Smith’s prosecutors.

The actions to reorganize the Justice Department’s staff took place before to the US Senate’s vote on Pam Bondi, Trump’s candidate for attorney general. A Senate subcommittee is scheduled to vote on Bondi’s nomination on Wednesday.

Smith, who was nominated by previous Attorney General Merrick Garland, filed lawsuits against Trump, alleging that he attempted to tamper with the 2020 election certification process and unlawfully kept secret materials at his social club in Florida.

Trump said the proceedings represented a “weaponization” of the court system and entered not guilty pleas to all of the allegations.

Citing a long-standing rule against pursuing a sitting president, Smith withdrew both charges following Trump’s victory.