Trump Said to Terminate Biden Holdover US Attorneys From DOJ (1)

The Trump administration has started firing the remaining Biden-appointed US attorneys, paving the way for an accelerated deployment of Trump-aligned law enforcement officials, said four people familiar with the moves.

Some holdover US attorneys who worked under then-Attorney General Merrick Garland received White House notices Wednesday of their dismissals, said the individuals, who spoke on condition of anonymity to share private conversations.

Since the Clinton administration, it’s become the norm for a new administration—shortly after its arrival—to seek the removals of the prior president’s picks for chief prosecutors in 93 districts.

However, in what was described as a major departure from past practice, the White House didn’t coordinate with DOJ’s Executive Office for US Attorneys and in at least one office, a successorship plan wasn’t known, creating confusion over who would sign court filings, two people said. They said the firings were relayed in a one sentence message from the White House declaring they’re being terminated, effective immediately, at the direction of President Donald J. Trump.

DOJ spokespeople didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Many of the Biden-appointed US attorneys had already voluntarily resigned starting in December and January, and it’s not clear how many of the dozens of remaining holdovers were impacted by Wednesday’s letters from the White House.

Their departures are expected to hasten the adoption of new Trump law enforcement priorities, including deportations of undocumented immigrants.

It follows a tumultuous opening month in which the administration has forced out multiple veteran career officials deemed impediments to Trump’s agenda.

The Biden administration began directing US attorneys to step down on Feb. 9, 2021. The prior Trump White House moved to dismiss the Obama-era US attorneys on March 10, 2017.

The list includes US attorneys in the Seattle and San Francisco, as well as Baltimore-based Erek Barron.

Bloomberg Law reported the Maryland US attorney’s leadership style alienated many of his employees, leading to an exodus of experienced prosecutors.

Those fired also included at least one court-appointed US attorney who was never selected by the president and Senate confirmed, said three people. Those sources said they weren’t aware of any previous instance of a judicially-appointed US attorney being forced to leave.

The dismissals come after Bloomberg Law reported that DOJ headquarters gave all US attorneys two business days to explain why prosecutors they’ve hired in the past two years who aren’t focused on Trump priorities such as immigration and public safety should be retained.

Bloomberg Law also reported that Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove last month ordered US attorneys to compile lists of prosecutors willing to take assignments to border districts.