Trump Administration Fires More D.O.J. Employees Who Worked for Special Counsel

New York Times

4 days ago

The Trump administration fired another batch of nearly 10 Justice Department employees who once worked for the special counsel's office that twice indicted President Trump, some in relatively minor roles, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The dismissals on Friday were the latest sign that the administration was reaching deep into the inner workings of the Justice Department to find and expel not just people who had a direct part in investigating and prosecuting Mr. Trump during his four years out of office but also those who had played secondary roles in the office of the special counsel, Jack Smith.
The latest firings, which include at least two federal prosecutors, appeared to once again ignore traditional civil service protections and were said to be based on a broad assertion of presidential authority, according to two people who spoke about the moves on condition of anonymity to avoid discussing a politically sensitive subject.
At least seven others who were fired had served as support staff to Mr. Smith's office, the two people said. They helped manage the office, handling tasks like overseeing financial records, performing paralegal services or conducting information security.
Since the early days of Mr. Trump's second term, the president's aides have repeatedly sought to fire, punish or demote the people who worked on the cases against him as well on cases stemming from the attack on the Capitol by his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021.
The purging from government ranks of anyone associated with these cases has been sporadic, with fresh batches of firings coming at different intervals and often without much explanation, other than the citing of Article II of the Constitution, which defines the powers of a president.
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