Fired Jan. 6 prosecutor plans to sue Trump administration
Mike Gordon, a former assistant U.S. attorney, said he was removed without warning or cause after prosecuting dozens of Jan. 6 rioters.
President Trump pardoned many people convicted of crimes related to Jan. 6 after taking office. He has also sought to overhaul the Department of Justice, arguing it was politicized under Democratic administrations.
But critics say his administration's actions have politicized DOJ, and Gordon said his dismissal was unjust.
'I pursued cases against January 6 rioters, because what they did, not because who they supported,' Gordon told WFLA, a Nexstar affiliate.
'Because they assaulted police officers, not because who they voted for,' he added.
Gordon lost his Tampa based job with the Middle District of Florida after receiving a letter from Attorney General Pam Bondi citing the power of the president outlined in Article II of the Constitution.
'The law requires that the government cannot fire a federal prosecutor without first giving warning and then giving a justification, a reason, merit-based reason for firing,' Gordon said in an interview with WFLA.
'They didn't do any of that with me,' he added.
Lowell & Associates has agreed to represent Gordon as a plaintiff in the lawsuit and said additional former DOJ employees will join a legal battle set to be filed later this week.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment on the matter.
'When that independence is compromised, justice itself is at risk. This case isn't about one prosecutor's career, but the integrity of our legal system,' Abbe David Lowell of Lowell & Associates told WFLA.
'Mike Gordon was a distinguished prosecutor whose public service included convicting violent gang members, Jan. 6 rioters who stormed the Capitol and fraudsters who preyed on people with disabilities. He followed the law, not politics, and was fired for it.'
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