“Today, I took action to terminate a DOJ employee for inappropriate conduct towards National Guard service members in DC,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi in a Friday X post.
She also linked to an article about the incident published by The New York Post this week. According to the Post, the staffer was named Elizabeth Baxter and worked for the U.S. Department of Justice’s “4CON” building in the NoMa district of Washington D.C. It was the same building where paralegal Sean Charles Dunn – a man accused of throwing a Subway sandwich at a Border Protection officer – works in.
This month, President Donald Trump ordered National Guard troops into the nation’s capital to crack down on crime. Reactions to this move have been mixed.
Per the Post’s report, Baxter was one of the people who was not enthused about the National Guard presence in D.C. She allegedly told a security guard at the 4CON building that she gave the middle finger to a guardsman at Metro Center Metro Stop on Aug. 18.
“F**k the National Guard,” she allegedly said.
Shortly after noon that same day, Baxter was “observed on DOJ security cameras putting up her middle finger toward the National Guard and saying: “F**k you!’” the Post said. Then, around a week later in Aug. 25, she again told the SOJ security guard that she hated the National Guard and told then to “f**k off,” the outlet added. It said that in a photo the Post exclusively obtained, the staffer could be seen demonstrating the gesture on DOJ security footage.
According to Shubin Law, the “flipping off” others with a middle finger is an obscene gesture, but it is not against the law and is protected by the First Amendment. Still, employers can let go of staff over behavior, and the Ethics Handbook for On and Off-Duty Conduct available on the DOJ website sates that: “an employee shall endeavor to avoid any actions creating the appearance that the employee is violating the law, or the ethical standards set forth in this part.”
An investigation including multiple witnesses was conducted regarding Baxter’s conduct before she was fired Friday, the Post said. A copy of the termination letter is included in its report.
“You are removed from your position of Paralegal Specialist, GS-0950-11, Environmental Defense Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division, and from the federal service, effective immediately,” it read.
In her X post, Bondi said “defending President Trump’s agenda and fighting to make America safe again. If you oppose our mission and disrespect law enforcement — you will NO LONGER work at DOJ.”