The Trump administration on Monday abruptly fired more than a dozen Justice Department lawyers who had been part of two high-profile investigations into President Donald Trump. These individuals served under former Special Counsel Jack Smith and were central to probes examining Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
The firings took immediate effect. According to sources familiar with the matter, many of the attorneys were veteran corruption and national security prosecutors who had been assigned to the cases across various administrations.
Investigations and Charges
Jack Smith, appointed special counsel in 2022, oversaw the two Justice Department probes into President Trump’s conduct—a role he resigned from before Trump’s inauguration. Both inquiries led to criminal charges against Trump, who pleaded not guilty. However, once Trump won the November election, the cases were closed in line with Justice Department regulations prohibiting the prosecution of a sitting president.
It remains unclear which specific members of Smith’s team were dismissed. Reports suggest that each received a letter on Monday stating that their involvement in investigating and prosecuting President Trump rendered them unsuitable to continue serving at the department.
DOJ Reshuffle
The dismissals come amid a significant reorganization within the Justice Department. Several top officials with expertise in national security and public corruption have been reassigned, with one official, the head of the Public Integrity Section, reportedly resigning on Monday.
President Trump and his allies have long criticized the Justice Department, alleging that investigations targeting his administration, associates, and fellow Republicans were politically motivated. During his re-election campaign, Trump pledged an immediate overhaul of the department, accusing it of being “weaponized” against him.
New DOJ Leadership
Pam Bondi, nominated to lead the Justice Department under the new administration, has echoed Trump’s stance, describing past prosecutions against him as “political persecution.” She added that the department “had been weaponized for years.”
Jack Smith’s Defense
Before leaving, Jack Smith defended his work. In a letter accompanying his final report on Trump’s post-2020 election actions, Smith insisted that his prosecutorial decisions were not influenced by the Biden administration or any other political actor. He dismissed such suggestions as “laughable.”
Broader Fallout
Meanwhile, Washington, D.C.’s top federal prosecutor, Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Martin, has opened an internal review into charging decisions stemming from the January 6 Capitol riot cases. Martin—a Trump appointee—has directed prosecutors to produce documents, emails, and other records detailing the rationale behind issuing obstruction charges against more than 200 defendants in those cases.
The internal review and the sweeping firings have sparked renewed debate over the extent of executive influence within the nation’s top law enforcement agency. Observers say the sudden upheaval raises questions about prosecutorial independence and the future direction of federal investigations under the current administration.
