Overview

• On July 12, Bondi fired nine former members of Jack Smith’s team, including two federal prosecutors and seven support staff who handled office management, paralegal work, financial records and information security.
• Those removals bring to at least 20 the total number of DOJ employees terminated for their roles in prosecutions of President Donald Trump.
• The firings encompass personnel involved in both the classified documents probe at Mar-a-Lago and the election interference case related to the 2020 vote and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
• Bondi has invoked Article II powers to justify the dismissals, prompting concerns that the move could undermine the department’s neutrality and deter future politically charged investigations.
• Earlier this year, the Justice Department dismissed more than a dozen Smith-linked prosecutors in January and at least three U.S. Capitol riot prosecutors in June under similar rationales.