The Justice Department has fired additional lawyers and support staff who were involved in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigations and prosecutions of former President Donald Trump. This action is part of a wider series of personnel changes affecting staff who handled cases involving Trump and his supporters.
Contents
These recent terminations involved personnel working on Smith’s prosecutions related to classified documents and alleged election interference.
Details of the Latest Firings
According to sources familiar with the matter, the specific number of personnel fired in this latest wave is not immediately clear. However, the terminations affected staff across both the classified documents and the 2020 election interference cases.
Those terminated included prosecutors who had been temporarily assigned to Smith’s investigations, as well as support staff and other non-lawyer personnel who assisted the probes. These changes follow previous personnel actions within the department affecting staff on politically sensitive cases.
Part of a Broader Trend
These recent firings are part of a pattern of terminations that have occurred within the Justice Department over several months, targeting staff involved in cases concerning Donald Trump and his allies.
In January, the Justice Department announced it had fired more than a dozen prosecutors who had worked on prosecutions of Trump. Last month, at least three prosecutors involved in U.S. Capitol riot criminal cases were also fired. Patty Hartman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Washington, whose office handled cases against those who breached the Capitol, publicly stated that she had received a termination letter signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks near former President Donald Trump at the White House.
Background on Jack Smith’s Investigations
Special Counsel Jack Smith was appointed in 2022 to investigate potential criminal conduct related to the handling of classified documents after Trump left office and efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
In 2023, Smith’s team brought separate indictments against Trump. One indictment accused him of unlawfully retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The second indictment charged him with conspiring to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in the period leading up to the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Why the Cases Did Not Reach Trial
Neither of the criminal cases brought against Donald Trump by the Special Counsel ultimately proceeded to trial.
The Supreme Court issued a ruling that significantly narrowed the scope of the election interference case by determining that former presidents possess broad immunity from prosecution for actions taken as part of their official duties. Separately, a judge appointed by Trump dismissed the classified documents case. The judge ruled that the appointment of Jack Smith as a special counsel was unlawful.
Cases Withdrawn After Election
Smith ultimately withdrew both cases in November 2024 following Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election. This decision cited a long-standing legal opinion within the Justice Department that advises against indicting a sitting president.
The recent firings continue a period of significant personnel shifts within the Justice Department, particularly impacting staff involved in high-profile cases linked to the former president and events surrounding the 2020 election.
