Attorney General Pam Bondi dismissed a Justice Department worker on Friday for allegedly directing a rude gesture toward National Guard members stationed in Washington D.C. as part of President Donald Trump’s initiative to curb crime in the city, confirmed a Justice Department official.
According to Bondi’s memo, confirmed by the DOJ, the employee, Elizabeth Baxter, was a paralegal specialist in the department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
The New York Post was first to report Baxter’s termination.
“Due to your unsuitable behavior towards National Guard service members, your position with the Department of Justice is terminated, effective immediately,” Bondi wrote in the memo, as verified by the Justice Department.
A Justice Department official informed NBC News that Baxter was seen and heard making the offensive gesture and yelling at the Guard members on multiple occasions.
The incidents allegedly occurred several times during the last two weeks, though NBC News has not independently confirmed the accusations.
A Justice Department spokesperson, Gates McGavick, praised the dismissal on Friday, stating in a social media post, “if you don’t support law enforcement, [Attorney General Pam Bondi’s] DOJ might not be a good match.”
This dismissal is the second instance this month where Bondi has removed a Justice Department employee for behavior she considers inappropriate towards law enforcement.
Weeks ago, Bondi fired a department paralegal after he was caught on camera throwing a sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection agent outside of a popular nightlife area in D.C. She wrote at the time, “you will NOT work in this administration while disrespecting our government and law enforcement.”
Bondi initially sought to secure felony charges against that employee, Sean Dunn, but a grand jury declined to return an indictment, a signal that local residents did not identify probable cause to back that charge. U.S. District Attorney Jeanine Pirro instead charged Dunn with misdemeanor assault.
Trump has consistently touted his effort to mitigate crime in D.C., which was already declining, as incredibly successful, pointing to further decreases this month in acts like carjackings. But the effort has faced mounting criticism from Democratic lawmakers and protest from D.C. residents, many of whom have characterized Trump’s operation as overblown, a scare tactic and racially motivated.
