Washington, D.C., January 28, 2025 – The Europe Today: The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Monday that it had terminated the employment of more than a dozen prosecutors who played key roles in criminal investigations involving President Donald Trump. The firings, effective immediately, mark a swift move by Acting Attorney General James McHenry to remove individuals deemed disloyal to the administration.
“Today, Acting Attorney General James McHenry terminated the employment of a number of DOJ officials who played a significant role in prosecuting President Trump,” a Justice Department official said in a statement. “In light of their actions, the Acting Attorney General does not trust these officials to assist in faithfully implementing the President’s agenda. This action is consistent with the mission of ending the weaponization of government.”
Details regarding the identities of the terminated prosecutors or the number of officials remaining from the teams that investigated Trump were not immediately disclosed. It is also unclear how many of the affected employees intend to challenge the firings on the grounds of civil service protections afforded to federal employees.
DOJ Upheaval
The abrupt dismissals, which include career prosecutors who worked on special counsel Jack Smith’s team, highlight growing turmoil within the DOJ. The move underscores the administration’s efforts to reshape the department and eliminate individuals it perceives as adversarial.
Special counsel Jack Smith, who led the investigations into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, resigned earlier this month after submitting a two-volume report on the cases. Smith had been a central target of Trump’s criticism, with the president vowing before his election to remove him “on day one.”
Jay Bratt, another key figure in the classified documents case, also retired from the DOJ earlier this month.
Ongoing Legal Challenges
President Trump continues to face legal challenges. In Georgia, he is charged over efforts to subvert the state’s 2020 election results, though the case is expected to be paused during his presidency. Additionally, Trump was convicted in New York in May for falsifying business records related to hush money payments to an adult film actress.
The firings reflect a significant shift within the DOJ, raising questions about the future direction of investigations and prosecutions related to Trump and broader issues of political impartiality within federal agencies.
