Justice Department ethics chief says he was fired
The firings indicate that the Trump administration is still searching high and low for any person who had a hand in the special counsel's work, which resulted in two federal indictments against Donald Trump. Both cases were dismissed once he was reelected.
Trump has long said that Smith's investigations amounted to a political 'witch hunt,' and vowed to go after anyone who led or helped in that effort. Several career prosecutors on the cases have already been fired.
Joseph Tirrell, who until last week was responsible for advising Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche directly on ethics matters, posted a short letter advising him of his dismissal that did not provide a rationale for the termination. Tirrell had been director of the departmental ethics office since July 2023, according to DOJ.
'Until Friday evening, I was the senior ethics attorney at the Department of Justice responsible for advising the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General directly on federal employee ethics,' Tirrell wrote on LinkedIn. 'I was also responsible for the day-to-day operations of the ethics program across the Department.'
He added: 'My public service is not over, and my career as a Federal civil servant is not finished. I took the oath at 18 as a Midshipman to 'support and defend the Constitution of the United States'… That oath did not come with the caveat that I need only support the Constitution when it is easy or convenient.'
The Justice Department and Tirrell have not responded to CNN's requests for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
India hints it will keep buying Russian oil
India has indicated it will defy threats made by US President Donald Trump and continue buying Russian oil. The world's third-largest crude importer - after China and the US - cashed in on cheap Russian oil when its price plummeted after Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Historically, it had bought most of its crude from countries in the Middle East. But this changed after the invasion in February 2022, when western countries slapped sanctions on Russia in a bid to choke off money fuelling Moscow's war chest. It prompted the recent energy crisis that saw household bills in the UK soar. On Friday, the Indian foreign ministry said its relationship with Russia was "steady and time-tested", and warned against viewing it through the lens of another country. Addressing a weekly meeting, spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said India's general position on procuring energy was guided by supply in the markets and prevailing global circumstances. The sentiment was echoed by two further government sources cited by the Reuters news agency. "These are long-term oil contracts," one of the sources said. "It is not so simple to just stop buying overnight." India is highly dependent on oil imports, which supply 87% of its needs, according to the International Energy Agency. The comments follow a threat made by President Trump to impose a 25% tariff on goods from India, as well as an additional import tax, because of New Delhi's purchases of Russian oil. The US president made ending the war in Ukraine a top priority - pledging to do so within his first 24 hours in office. But recently Mr Trump - who has repeatedly praised the Mr Putin over the years - has started to sour on the Russian leader for failing to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine. He called it "disappointing" and also threatened new economic sanctions on Russia if progress is not made. Mr Trump also this week said he had ordered two US nuclear submarines to be positioned in the "appropriate regions" in a row with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. The pressure on India comes after it upped it Russian crude purchases from 68,000 barrels per day in January 2022 to 1.12 million barrels per day by June that year. Supplies rose as high as nearly 40% of India's imports at one point, making Russia the largest supplier of crude to New Delhi, according to the Press Trust of India, citing data from analytics firm Kpler. Home to 1.3 billion people, India is expected to become an even bigger oil consumer over the remainder of the decade, fuelled by spectacular growth in its economy, as well as rising population and demographics. Demand has been rising fastest for petrol, with rising household incomes sparking a boom in motorcycle and car ownership.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Orlando woman without medical license arrested after botched ‘double chin' surgery which she tried eight times to correct: police
A woman in Orlando was arrested after she provided an Endolaser treatment to a customer's "double chin" without holding a medical license, according to the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation. Investigators said that Gabriela Pereira, 29, performed the surgery at Tonya Beauty in Orlando on April 16, 2024, according to an affidavit obtained by News 6 in Florida. During the procedure, the patient reportedly was burned by the laser after it was left sitting for too long on her chin. The burn reportedly caused blistering and necrosis, according to investigators. Pereira allegedly had the customer return eight times for follow up treatments in an attempt to correct the damage. Investigators allege that she posed as a technician with a medical license. 'Pereira provided the services in exchange for (the patient) allowing Tonya Beauty to use her photos online as a model,' the affidavit says. Investigators said the patient who was burned learned of the clinic via recommendations online. 'Tonya Beauty is a very popular clinic among Brazilians, with a lot of actresses and singers coming from Brazil to get procedures done,' the affidavit says. 'They are very popular on social media, including Instagram, and are known to have gained the trust of Brazilians for cosmetic procedures in the United States.' The Independent has requested a comment from Tonya Beauty. An arrest warrant for Pereira was filed on July 29. She is currently facing nine counts of practicing medicine without a license, nine counts of practicing a health care profession without a valid license, and two counts of dispensing medical drugs without a license, according to investigators. Police shut down another unlicensed clinic in Florida in early July after a woman complained that she had experienced facial paralysis after receiving a botox injection. Unlike Tonya Beauty, that clinic was operating out of a shed in a woman's backyard in Port St Lucie, Florida. In that case, a woman named Rosa Mena was allegedly operating without a license from her backyard spa. She claimed to have been a doctor in the Dominican Republic, but her documentation was out of date. A search warrant at Mena's property turned up medical beds, vials, needles, fat sculpting machines, micro-needling equipment, laser hair removal equipment, and liposuction machines. Mena was charged with three counts of aggravated batter causing bodily harm and three counts of practicing medicine without an active license, and two fraud counts.
UPI
22 minutes ago
- UPI
Mixed results for 'Rage Against the Regime' day of action
Aug. 2 (UPI) -- The same organization behind prior protests against the Trump administration reported mixed results for Saturday's "Rage Against the Regime" protests across the country. The protests are part of the ninth "national day of action" event coordinated so far this year by the 50501 Movement, which opposes President Donald Trump and his administration's policies. Organizers accuse the Trump administration of "heralding ... American neo-fascism," building "concentration camps" and funding "genocide." They also accuse Trump of "weaponization of ICE against our communities, construction of concentration camps, covering up the Epstein files, attacks on transgender rights and ... dismantling of Medicaid, SNAP, USAID, the Department of Education, NOAA and the National Weather Service." The protests are intended to be peaceful, but at least one local organizer changed the name to "Rise Against the Regime" to emphasize its peaceful intent for the protest in San Angelo, Texas. Several posts on the 50501 Movements' Facebook page expressed disappointment over low turnout at many of the protests, while others said hundreds showed up. The organization says "50501" refers to 50 protests in 50 states in one day and calls the Trump administration a "threat" to democracy and human rights, The Hill reported. About 350 Rage Against the Regime protests were scheduled in communities across the nation. The name of Saturday's collective protests references the Los Angeles rock band Rage Against the Machine. Other nationwide protests organized by the 50501 Movement include the "No Kings Day" protest held on June 14 and the "Good Trouble Lives On" protest held on the anniversary of former Rep. John Lewis' death on July 17.
