United States President Donald Trump has instructed the Department of Justice to terminate all ‘Biden-era’ attorneys. In a Truth Social post, he said that the department had been “politicized like never before.”
“Over the past four years, the Department of Justice has been politicized like never before. Therefore, I have instructed the termination of ALL remaining “Biden Era” U.S. Attorneys. We must “clean house” IMMEDIATELY, and restore confidence. America’s Golden Age must have a fair Justice System – THAT BEGINS TODAY!,” Trump in the post.
This comes after the White House sent termination notices to several US Attorneys – appointed by Democratic former President Joe Biden – around the country last week.
According to a Reuters report, on Monday, many US attorneys announced they were stepping down, while others left the government last week. While it is customary for US Attorneys to step down after a change in the presidential administration, the incoming administration usually asks for resignations and does not issue abrupt termination letters, according to current and former Justice Department lawyers.
The termination of US attorneys, who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officials in their districts, marks the latest upheaval at the Justice Department since Trump assumed office last month. Typically, career Justice Department officials continue their roles across administrations. However, dozens in cities such as Washington and New York have either been dismissed or resigned since Trump’s inauguration.
Trump ran on a pledge to dismantle what he calls the “weaponization” of the Justice Department, claiming it was used against him during his time out of office.
On Tuesday, a senior federal prosecutor, Denise Cheung – the latest in Washington to resign – said an improper demand by appointees of President Donald Trump’s administration to launch a criminal probe of a government contract awarded under former President Joe Biden.
Cheung, who supervised criminal cases at the US Attorney’s Office in Washington, stated that she had been directed to initiate an investigation into an undisclosed contract. However, she believed the request lacked sufficient evidence to warrant the probe, a letter said according to Reuters.
When she declined to launch a grand jury investigation citing a lack of evidence, she said she was ordered instead to pursue an asset seizure to prevent the recipient of the contract from drawing down the government funds.
