The Justice Department announced on Monday that it has dismissed several career lawyers involved in prosecuting President Donald Trump, NBC News reported.
The dismissed employees were part of special counsel Jack Smith's investigation, which had led to now-dropped indictments against Trump over his handling of classified documents and attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
“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 informed NBC News.
"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," the official added.
According to an official familiar with the matter, among those dismissed were career prosecutors Molly Gaston, J.P. Cooney, Anne McNamara, and Mary Dohrmann.
Smith resigned earlier this month ahead of Trump’s inauguration. Trump’s re-election effectively halted the federal criminal cases against him due to the Justice Department’s long-standing policy against prosecuting sitting presidents.
The only criminal case against Trump to result in a conviction is his New York hush money case, brought by Manhattan Attorney General Alvin Bragg. Trump was sentenced to a penalty-free unconditional discharge, becoming the first convicted felon to take office as president.
The termination letters sent to the fired employees explicitly cited their roles in investigating Trump.
“You played a significant role in prosecuting President Trump,” one such letter read, according to excerpts shared with NBC News. “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.”
The letter also noted that the dismissed employees have the right to appeal to the federal Merit Systems Protection Board, which oversees the discipline of federal workers.