Attorney General Pam Bondi dropped a political nuke on Friday—firing nearly two dozen Justice Department officials connected to the highly controversial Jack Smith investigations targeting former President Donald Trump.
According to multiple sources including Axios and Reuters, around 20 DOJ staff—ranging from prosecutors to U.S. Marshals—were let go. The firings target those involved in the Trump classified documents case and January 6th-related prosecutions.
This mass termination includes two senior prosecutors from Florida and North Carolina, sparking a political storm across Washington. Bondi’s office has cited Trump’s executive authority as the justification behind the purge, claiming these individuals could not be trusted to carry out his administration’s agenda.One DOJ source told Reuters that the dismissals were not unexpected, especially after 14 lawyers were removed back in January for similar reasons. Still, Friday’s mass firing sent a shockwave through D.C., raising legal and political questions about Trump’s direct influence over the DOJ.
We are restoring trust and integrity,” a Bondi spokesperson reportedly said. However, critics see this as political retaliation aimed at dismantling investigations that once threatened Trump’s 2024 comeback trail.
Neither Jack Smith nor the DOJ has publicly commented as of this writing.