Washington On Monday, the Department of Justice announced the dismissal of a number of career attorneys who were involved in the prosecution of Donald Trump.
In the run-up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, DOJ staff members had participated in special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation, which resulted in now-dismissed indictments against Trump for his handling of sensitive data and his attempts to reverse his 2020 election defeat.
A Justice Department insider informed NBC News that Acting Attorney General James McHenry fired several DOJ staffers who were instrumental in President Trump’s prosecution today. “The Acting Attorney General does not believe that these officials will faithfully support the President’s agenda in light of their actions. The goal of preventing the weaponization of government is in line with this activity.
Career prosecutors Molly Gaston, J.P. Cooney, Anne McNamara, and Mary Dohrmann were among those fired, an official with knowledge of the situation told NBC News.
Career civil officers cannot be summarily dismissed; instead, a legal procedure must be followed.
Former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance, a legal contributor for NBC News, stated that it is just wrong to fire prosecutors due to the cases they were assigned to work on. It is anti-democracy and anti-rule of law.
Career public servants cannot be summarily fired, according to former DOJ attorney Julie Zebrak, a specialist in federal employment law.
They are entitled to civil service. She asserted that they are entitled to due process.
She stated that these attorneys must be subject to “progressive discipline,” which includes warnings and notice, if the Justice Department is claiming that they are not operating effectively. Before they lose their jobs, they must be able to hire attorneys.
“There’s a reason why people say firing federal employees is so difficult,” she remarked.