Kurt Olsen, a longtime Trump loyalist, and at least six other prosecutors have left the so-called “grand conspiracy” investigation in the Southern District of Florida, dealing a significant setback to the Justice Department’s long-running probe.
The departures, first reported by Our News Outlet, come after weeks of uncertainty surrounding the investigation in Miami and the abrupt resignation of Trump ally Joseph diGenova earlier this month.
Attorney General Todd Blanche appointed diGenova in April to examine whether US intelligence and law enforcement officials—including former President Barack Obama’s CIA Director John Brennan—had taken part in a years-long effort against Donald Trump.
The latest exits raise new questions about the future direction of the wide-ranging Florida investigation.
They also reportedly followed renewed pressure from Justice Department officials in Washington to pursue indictments before the midterm elections, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Those demands appear to conflict with longstanding Justice Department practice, which generally seeks to avoid taking “overt” investigative action in politically sensitive cases during the 60 to 90 days before an election.
A source familiar with the matter said the push from Main Justice to secure indictments was central to the departures, particularly after a contentious meeting in the Southern District of Florida earlier this month.
“They started asking questions, and then they started giving orders to line attorneys about how to conduct the grand jury,” the person told Our News Outlet. “The attorneys revolted, and then objections were made to the department. That’s when everything exploded.”
Our News Outlet was told that between seven and eight prosecutors, including Olsen, had departed from the investigation.
A second source familiar with the matter disputed that figure, saying four people had left. The source said the group included two US attorneys whose details had ended and a JAG attorney reassigned to another role.
The individual added that two more prosecutors had recently been hired for the team and were expected to begin work within the next week or two.
Asked about the investigation’s status, a Justice Department spokesperson told Our News Outlet that department leadership “has full confidence in the great team of experienced prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida led by US Attorney Quiñones.”
“The Department’s work on this investigation continues, and we are grateful to the talented team of attorneys, which continues to grow, doing the work each day.”
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Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks on stage on the first day of the 2026 Republican National Convention
Attorney Joe diGenova, a longtime Trump ally, was tapped to oversee the investigation in the Southern District of Florida
President Donald Trump, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi and then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche speak to reporters at the White House
Olsen’s departure adds to the uncertainty surrounding the long-running investigation. It follows an exclusive report by Our News Outlet last week that the so-called grand conspiracy probe was in trouble, although DOJ officials maintained that the inquiry would continue.
Maria Medetis Long, a senior career prosecutor, was reportedly removed from the case earlier this year after raising concerns about the strength of the evidence.
The investigation was subsequently staffed with a group of Trump-friendly figures, including longtime Trump ally Joseph diGenova and Kurt Olsen, a former White House official and 2020 election denier.
As of this writing, both diGenova and Olsen have left the investigation.
Olsen did not immediately respond to Our News Outlet’s request for comment.
Our News Outlet previously reported that the probe in Miami had been hitting dead ends for months – suggesting that the so-called ‘grand conspiracy’ probe that the president has obsessed over, publicly and privately – for the better part of the last six years – is all but dead.
‘This case was initiated to make the president and the public think something is happening down there, when in reality, it’s not,’ one DOJ official told Our News Outlet last week.
A DOJ official previously disputed the notion that the case in Florida is stalled and has no support from Main Justice.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter and another attorney traveled down to Florida after DiGenova’s departure to check in on progress, a law enforcement official told Our News Outlet last week.
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