The administration of US President Donald Trump has dismissed over a dozen Justice Department lawyers involved in two criminal cases against him. Acting Attorney General James McHenry discharged them, stating that they were not trusted to faithfully implement the president's agenda, as they played a significant role in the prosecutions.
The lawyers were part of former Special Counsel Jack Smith's team investigating Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents and attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. The firings, effective immediately, followed Trump's plea of not guilty to criminal charges, which were dropped after his election win in November.
It remains unknown which specific team members were fired. Career prosecutors specializing in corruption and national security appointed to the cases were among those affected. Displeased with the decision, former US Attorney Joyce Vance criticized the action as "unacceptable" and contrary to the rule of law.
These dismissals come after a significant reassignment of Justice Department officials having expertise in national security and public corruption. Trump and his team accused the department of politically motivated prosecutions and vowed to revamp its operations to combat what they perceive as anti-Trump bias.
Special Counsel Jack Smith defended his work and dismissed Trump's claims of political influence in his decisions. Concurrently, Washington DC's top federal prosecutor initiated an internal review into charging decisions related to Capitol riot cases. Acting US Attorney Edward Martin called for documentation on the obstruction charges brought against over 200 Capitol attack defendants during the previous administration.