Justice Department Dismisses Key Officials From Jack Smith’s Team

Acting Attorney General James McHenry has terminated more than a dozen Justice Department employees who were involved in prosecuting President Donald Trump during Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigations. The firings come as part of an effort to realign the department with the administration’s agenda, a Justice Department official confirmed.

McHenry sent termination letters to the individuals, citing a lack of trust in their ability to implement President Trump’s policies. “The Acting Attorney General does not trust these officials to assist in faithfully implementing the president’s agenda,” the official said, emphasizing that the decision aligns with the administration’s focus on ending political weaponization within the federal government.

Jack Smith, appointed by former Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022, led two major investigations into Trump, including a probe into classified documents and another related to the events surrounding the 2020 election. Both cases were dropped after Trump’s 2024 election victory. Smith, who resigned after completing his investigations, had built a team of prosecutors and agents to pursue the cases.

On the same day as the firings, Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Martin in Washington, D.C. ordered a review of charging decisions in Jan. 6-related cases. The focus is on the use of obstruction charges, which the Supreme Court ruled had been overly broad in its application. Prosecutors have been instructed to provide documents and internal communications for evaluation.

The administration also announced the reassignment of numerous career DOJ officials, including senior figures in the criminal and national security divisions. These changes follow President Trump’s signing of an executive order aimed at dismantling politically motivated actions within the federal government.

Smith’s investigations into Trump concluded with a report in which he claimed to have gathered evidence sufficient for trial. However, the cases were dismissed, and only the first volume of the report, focused on Trump’s actions after the 2020 election, has been made public.