Bondi Fires 20 Justice Department Employees Linked to Jack Smith’s Investigations Into Trump

Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired more than 20 Department of Justice employees who worked with former Special Counsel Jack Smith on two investigations into the January 6 riot at the Capitol and President Trump’s handling of classified documents.The investigations centered around Mr. Trump’s handling of classified documents and his efforts to dispute the 2020 election results, which led to riots at the Capitol. According to sources cited by Reuters, nearly 20 DOJ staff members were terminated late Friday. The new dismissals bring the total number of Smith-related firings to 34 with 15 more looming, Axios reported.Among those fired were at least seven support staff who had worked closely with Mr. Smith’s investigations focused on Mr. Trump’s alleged illegal possession of classified documents kept at his Mar-a-Lago estate and the government’s efforts to recover them. Mr. Trump faced numerous felony charges stemming from the case, but pleaded not guilty.In addition, Mr. Smith was investigating Mr. Trump’s alleged involvement in a fake elector scheme and his role in the events leading up to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Mr. Smith dropped both cases after Mr. Trump won the White House in 2024, citing DOJ protocol against prosecuting sitting presidents. The recent firings were reportedly informed by Ms. Bondi’s “Weaponization Working Group,” an internal DOJ body tasked with investigating perceived abuses in the legal system and ferreting out political enemies of Mr. Trump. “The 20 ousted Friday included lawyers, support staff and U.S. marshals,” one Justice official told Axios. “In some cases, the staffers had volunteered for duty to investigate or prosecute Trump. Prior to Bondi taking office, 14 other Smith-related officials were fired.”Ms. Bondi’s DOJ has come under fire of late for its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Last year, Mr. Trump hinted during his campaign that he would declassify and release sensitive documents related to Mr. Epstein if reelected.However, the DOJ earlier this week released a statement dismissing claims that there is an incriminating “client list” associated with Mr. Epstein. It also declared that the convicted pedophile committed suicide, rejecting persistent theories that he was murdered.The announcement triggered backlash, with Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee accusing Ms. Bondi of covering up for Mr. Trump. MAGA supporters are also furious, and on Friday, FBI deputy director Daniel Bongino did not report to work amid speculation he is on the verge of resigning from his position if Ms. Bondi remains on the job, according to one report.

Bondi Fires 20 Justice Department Employees Linked to Jack Smith’s Investigations Into Trump

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