EXCLUSIVE: Justice Department Fires Key Officials Who Worked on Trump Investigations
The Justice Department has fired more than a dozen key officials who worked on Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team, which prosecuted President Donald Trump. Acting Attorney General James McHenry transmitted letters to each of these officials, informing them of their termination, a Justice Department official told Fox News Digital.
According to the official, the reason for the terminations was that McHenry “does not trust these officials to assist in faithfully implementing the President’s agenda.” This move is consistent with the administration’s mission to end the “weaponization of government.”
The officials affected by the terminations have not been named, and it is unclear how many received letters. The action comes after the Justice Department reassigned over a dozen officials in the first week of the Trump administration to a Sanctuary City task force and other measures.
Smith, a former Justice Department official, was appointed special counsel by former Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022. He led the investigation into Trump’s retention of classified documents after leaving the White House and whether the former president obstructed the federal government’s investigation into the matter.
In July 2024, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the classified records case, ruling that Smith was unlawfully appointed as special counsel. A separate case against Trump related to the 2020 presidential election was also dismissed by a U.S. District Court for Washington D.C. judge.
The move comes as Trump has promised to end the weaponization of the federal government, and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan created a subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government during the previous Congress.
