Acting Attorney General James McHenry shared in a note on Monday that several Justice Department officials who worked on the federal criminal investigations into President Donald Trump have been fired.
The news of the firings comes from Fox News, which cited people familiar with the matter. It was not immediately made clear how many officials were terminated.
NPR also reported on the firings, citing two department officials. According to one of the sources, McHenry wrote letters to the terminated officials, saying he did not believe they could be trusted to implement Trump’s agenda.
“You played a significant role in prosecuting President Trump. The proper functioning of government critically depends on the trust superior officials place in their subordinates,” McHenry wrote, CNN reported. “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 news also comes the same day that Trump’s acting US attorney for Washington, DC, Ed Martin, announced in a memo that he would carry out a “special project” to review the department’s prosecution of Jan. 6 Capitol rioters, CNN reported.
Martin has reportedly told prosecutors to provide all information related to the use of a specific obstruction charge. The move comes after the Supreme Court ruled last summer that the DOJ went too far when applying the obstruction charge against the Jan. 6 defendants.
Among the data being handed over to Martin includes emails, notes, files, documents, and anything else that contains information.
Trump has taken several actions throughout his first week in office to rectify legal challenges he and his supporters faced during the previous administration.
This includes a blanket pardon Trump issued for the almost 1,500 people who were present during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots.
As for his own legal trouble, Special Counsel Jack Smith dropped the two cases he was leading against Trump after the 2024 election. Smith cited a longstanding DOJ tradition not to prosecute the sitting president. Smith later resigned before Trump took office.
Trump’s pick to take over as attorney general, Pam Bondi, has yet to be confirmed by the Senate, though she has spoken previously about investigating investigators.