Concerns Mount About White House Reach into DOJ after Career Prosecutors Fired
The firings of two career federal prosecutors by the White House are raising alarm about President Trump’s reach into the Department of Justice (DOJ), and whether the agency can maintain its independence.
Two Assistant U.S, Attorneys, Adam Schleifer in Los Angeles and Reagan Fondren in Memphis, were recently fired via one-line emails from the White House. In turn, allies to the president were installed in their place.
The firing of Schleifer came just an hour after conservative activist Laura Loomer called for him to be fired over anti-Trump comments that Schleifer made while running for Congress in 2020. Schleifer was also working on the prosecution of Trump donor Andrew Wiederhorn, the former CEO of Fat Brands, when he was sacked.
While presidents routinely hire and fire U.S. Attorneys and other top Department of Justice officials, White House firings of career Assistant U.S. Attorneys are unprecedented, as most career prosecutors typically stay on the job during changes in administration. The New York Times calls it a “stark departure from decades of practice.”
“The integrity of our legal system and the independence of DOJ requires that laws are enforced impartially, which cannot happen when the White House fires career prosecutors to advance a political agenda,” said Stacey Young, a former Justice Department lawyer and founder of Justice Connection, a network of department alumni that works to support employees.
This comes as the White House announced it has already fired some 50 U.S. Attorneys and Assistant U.S. Attorneys, as the Trump Administration tries to end the “weaponization” of the Justice Department.
“The American people deserve a judicial branch full of honest arbiters of the law who want to protect democracy, not subvert it,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Among the interim U.S. Attorneys: Alina Habba in New Jersey, the president’s former personal lawyer, Sigal Chattah, a prominent Republican attorney for Nevada, and Andrew Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois.
Meanwhile, the nomination of Trump-ally Ed Martin to permanently lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC, is being held up in the Senate.
Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) placed a hold on the nomination citing Martin’s record as interim U.S. Attorney.
“In every way he can, Ed Martin has demolished the firewalls between the White House and his own office within the Department of Justice," said Senator Schiff in a statement.