The firings are part of a broader wave of terminations that have roiled the department for months.
WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Sources have indicated that the Justice Department has dismissed more lawyers and staff members involved in special counsel Jack Smith’s cases against President Donald Trump.
The exact number of dismissals is not known at this time, but they affect both the cases related to classified documents and those concerning election interference managed by Smith. This includes a few prosecutors assigned to these investigations, along with Justice Department staff and other non-legal personnel who assisted them. These details were shared by individuals who requested anonymity since these personnel changes have not been made public.
These dismissals are part of a larger series of firings that have unsettled the department for months, mainly targeting individuals who worked on cases concerning Trump and his associates. Previously, in January, the department announced it had let go of over a dozen prosecutors involved in Trump-related prosecutions, and just last month, at least three prosecutors working on U.S. Capitol riot cases were also fired.
Days ago, Patty Hartman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Washington, whose prosecutors handled the cases against the Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol, said in a social media post that she had been handed a letter signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi informing her that she had been fired.
Smith’s team in 2023 brought separate indictments accusing Trump of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida as well as conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Neither case reached trial. The Supreme Court significantly narrowed the election interference case in a ruling that said former presidents enjoyed broad immunity from prosecution for their official acts, and a Trump-appointed judge dismissed the classified documents case by holding that Smith’s appointment as special counsel was illegal.
Smith ultimately withdrew both cases in November 2024 after Trump’s victory, citing a Justice Department legal opinion that protects sitting presidents from federal prosecution.
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