Mass dismissals at Justice Department target Trump investigators

Pam Bondi, the U.S. Attorney General, has fired more than 20 employees and prosecutors from the Department of Justice who had been working on cases related to the January 6 Capitol riots and Trump's handling of classified documents.

According to Axios, these dismissals are part of a broader plan aimed at purging the Department of Justice of lawyers and support staff who participated in the prosecution of Trump under Special Counsel Jack Smith regarding January 6.

With these new dismissals, the total number of those fired in connection with the Special Counsel’s investigations has risen to 35 people. An estimated 15 more employees could also face termination.

Reuters previously reported that 9 employees had been dismissed, but Axios sources said the number is now 20, and ultimately as many as 37 people may be removed from Department of Justice offices in Washington, D.C., Virginia, Florida, and other states.

In some cases, the dismissed employees had voluntarily joined the investigations or prosecutions related to Trump. Before Bondi’s appointment, 14 other officials linked to Jack Smith had already been fired.

Sources indicated that Todd Blanche, Deputy Attorney General, initially played a key role in trying to halt the dismissals because he wanted to ensure the Department only removed employees who were not aligned with the Trump administration.

Bondi’s previous dismissals of prosecutors and staff have been highly controversial. This large-scale purge is not limited to the Department of Justice; other federal institutions, including the Department of Defense, the National Security Council, and the State Department, have also dismissed many of their employees.