It’s been said that Attorney General Pam Bondi dismissed a number of Justice Department (DOJ) staff members this week who had connections to former special counsel Jack Smith, who investigated President Trump’s handling of confidential documents and attempts to subvert the 2020 election, according to accounts by various news sources, such as the Associated Press.
Bondi let go of at least nine DOJ personnel on Friday, The New York Times reported, while other media outlets like Axios and The Washington Post reported that 20 workers were terminated, including U.S. marshals, support personnel and attorneys.
As part of the removal, two lawyers who were employed under Smith were dismissed, several news sources stated on Saturday, citing numerous unnamed sources. Reuters initially reported on the dismissals late Friday.
The Hill has contacted the DOJ for their response.
The dismissals are a component of an effort to rid the department of individuals who had involvement with Smith’s investigations into Trump improperly keeping records at Mar-a-Lago and the election meddling matter.
Smith dropped both the classified documents and the election meddling case near the end of last year, referencing the DOJ’s guideline of not prosecuting a sitting president of the U.S. Smith stepped down from his position at the conclusion of former President Biden’s tenure.
In late January, not long into Trump’s second term, the DOJ fired at least a dozen prosecutors who worked on Trump’s criminal cases, stating they could not be relied upon.
The now-terminated employees were recognized as being part of the DOJ’s so-called “Weaponization Working Group,” which was created to assess the department’s actions over the previous four years and the actions of Smith, various outlets reported on Saturday.
Patty Hartman, a leading public affairs expert, was dismissed on Monday. Hartman was a member of the District of Columbia U.S. Attorney’s Office media group.
“The rules are nonexistent now. There used to be a boundary, used to be a very clear separation between the White House and the Department of Justice, because one shouldn’t interfere with the work of the other. That boundary is most certainly gone,” Hartman told CBS News.
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