Overview

• Pam Bondi issued abrupt removal letters to three career prosecutors—two supervisors and a line attorney—who led and handled Jan. 6 riot cases in Washington.
• The letters offered no rationale beyond citing “Article II of the United States Constitution and the laws of the United States.”
• This represents the first firings of non-probationary DOJ attorneys over their involvement in Capitol riot prosecutions.
• Since January, the administration has also dismissed probationary Jan. 6 prosecutors, disbanded key task forces and demoted career supervisors, moves that critics say bypass civil service safeguards.
• Current and former DOJ and FBI officials warn the purge has created a chilling effect that could deter investigations of politically sensitive cases.