Overview

• On July 11, Bondi fired Joseph Tirrell, a career Department of Justice attorney who led its ethics office for nearly 20 years, without offering an explanation.
• Bondi’s termination letter invoked Article II powers previously used to remove other career DOJ staff, with no stated cause for his immediate departure from federal service.
• Tirrell’s office reviewed financial disclosures, handled recusals, granted conflict-of-interest waivers and advised on gifts and travel for senior DOJ leaders including Todd Blanche and Kash Patel.
• The move follows Bondi’s earlier disbanding of Biden-era ethics and foreign corruption task forces and the dismissal of prosecutors tied to Jan. 6 and Trump-related investigations.
• Legal observers warn that sidelining the DOJ’s top independent ethics official undermines internal checks and signals heightened political control at the department.