Updated January 28, 2025 at 11:28 AM ET
The acting attorney general moved on Monday to fire several Justice Department officials who worked on the federal criminal investigations into President Trump, according to two department officials familiar with the matter.
In termination letters sent to more than a dozen officials, acting Attorney General James McHenry wrote that he did not believe they "could be trusted to faithfully implement the President's agenda because of their significant role in prosecuting the president," one of the officials said.
It was not immediately clear how many officials involved in the Trump investigations received termination notices. The news was first reported .
The move comes the same day that Trump's acting U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., Ed Martin, issued a memo announcing a "special project" to review , according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.
Martin instructed prosecutors to provide all information related to the use of a specific obstruction charge, including files, documents, emails, notes and other information. He also describes the use of the charge against rioters as a "great failure," according to the person who described the memo to NPR.
Last summer, the Supreme Court ruled that the Justice Department against Jan. 6 defendants. But several lower court judges had previously blessed the DOJ's approach.
The moves are the latest in the administration's aggressive approach to the Justice Department seven days ago.
Trump shake-up, reassignments
Already, the department's acting leadership has reversed policies on a host of issues, including charging decisions and immigration enforcement, and brought a halt to other work, including in the civil rights and environment divisions.
The shakeup also extends to department personnel: several senior career officials have been reassigned from their areas of expertise to, in many cases, an immigration task force.
Two senior House Democrats, in a , said the firing and reassignments of career DOJ officials contradict the president's pledge to maintain a "merit-based system" for government workers and are likely illegal.
"By removing them from their positions in this hasty and unprincipled way, you have very likely violated longstanding federal laws," wrote Jamie Raskin, Md., and Gerald Connolly, Va., the top Democrats on the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform committees, respectively.
In a statement, the lawmakers added that these changes raise concerns "the Trump administration is intent on filling the ranks of the DOJ and FBI with career employees selected for their personal loyalty or political favors they have rendered to President Trump rather than their ability to provide essential law enforcement and intelligence services to the Department and to the nation."
Trump has lashed out for years at the Justice Department, accusing it of unfairly targeting him and his supporters in what he claims were politically motivated investigations.
He was particularly angry about the two investigations brought by special counsel Jack Smith. One case revolved around Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and the other case stems from Trump's keeping of classified documents after he left office. after Trump won the election.
Department officials, including former President Joe Biden's attorney general, Merrick Garland, have rejected the allegations of weaponizing the department. They point out that the department prosecuted prominent Democrats during Biden's term, including the president's son, Hunter, as well as two prominent Democratic members of Congress.
Still, Trump frequently talked on the campaign trail about seeking vengeance against his perceived enemies, including at the Justice Department.
His pick for attorney general, , and , have both talked about investigating the investigators.
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