WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has fired officials who were involved in investigating President Donald Trump, U.S. media reported Monday.
These DOJ employees had been involved in special counsel Jack Smith's investigation over Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the lead-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, as well as his handling of classified documents.
"Today, Acting Attorney General James McHenry terminated the employment of a number of DOJ officials who played a significant role in prosecuting President Trump," NBC News quoted a Justice Department official as saying.
"In light of their actions, the Acting Attorney General does not trust these officials to assist in faithfully implementing the President's agenda. This action is consistent with the mission of ending the weaponization of government," the official said.
ABC News reported that the Justice Department is firing "over a dozen" officials who were part of Smith's investigation teams.
Trump has long accused the Joe Biden administration's Justice Department of weaponizing the government, and has vowed to seek retribution during his campaign.
In late November, after Trump's election victory, Smith sought to drop both cases against the then-president-elect.
A few days prior to Trump's inauguration, Smith resigned and submitted his final report to former Attorney General Merrick Garland. Garland released the first volume of the report on Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, but the second volume, regarding Trump's mishandling of classified documents, was blocked by a federal judge in Florida.
Also on Monday, Ed Martin, the interim U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., launched an internal investigation into prosecutors who brought obstruction charges against some Jan. 6 Capitol rioters.
Referring to the effort as a "special project," Martin wrote in the memo issued Monday that the attorneys should hand over all information related, "including all files, documents, notes, emails, and other information" to two of the office's long-term prosecutors who must submit a report on the probe by Friday, according to a report by CNN.
Just hours after taking office, Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 criminal defendants charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, sparking widespread controversy. ■
