Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

BumRushDaShow

(146,692 posts)
Tue Feb 4, 2025, 09:51 AM Tuesday

Trump personally ordered firings of special counsel prosecutors

Source: The Guardian

Tue 4 Feb 2025 06.00 EST
Last modified on Tue 4 Feb 2025 07.42 EST


The US justice department fired more than a dozen prosecutors who worked on the criminal cases against Donald Trump hours after the president directly ordered it from the Oval Office, according to two people familiar with the intervention. The move to purge people who worked for former special counsel Jack Smith had ostensibly come from the acting attorney general, James McHenry, who sent the formal termination notices that said they could not be trusted to implement Trump’s agenda.

But the genesis for the firings was Trump himself, according to two people directly familiar with the matter, and a demonstration of Trump’s unchecked power as he implements a new order where the justice department is answerable to the White House. The end goal of Trump’s team is for the president to have at his disposal a justice department that plays a leading role in enforcing his wishes and doing his bidding, under their version of a unitary executive, where the president directs every agency.

Trump’s intervention to remove the prosecutors in Smith’s office was seen by some of his advisers as the start of their efforts to make it normal practice to have the attorney general work with the West Wing to enforce and enact its political agenda. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

After Trump instructed his advisers that he wanted the prosecutors gone, the White House presidential personnel office, led by longtime Trump ally Sergio Gor, issued a memo that directed the justice department to proceed and gave the move a degree of legal cover.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/04/trump-jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutors-firings

2 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Trump personally ordered firings of special counsel prosecutors (Original Post) BumRushDaShow Tuesday OP
This has to be one of the first times in the USA Blue Owl Tuesday #1
Coming up: some amazing job opportunities. Turbineguy Tuesday #2

Blue Owl

(55,195 posts)
1. This has to be one of the first times in the USA
Tue Feb 4, 2025, 10:47 AM
Tuesday

Where a criminal is essentially prosecuting law enforcement.

I can’t believe our justice system is allowing all this to happen.

Latest Discussions»Latest Breaking News»Trump personally ordered ...