Latest news with #JosephTirrell
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pam Bondi abruptly fires Justice Department's top ethics chief in four-sentence letter
Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired the ethics director at the Department of Justice in a four-sentence letter that misspells his name, marking the latest departure from the agency during a mass exodus of career prosecutors under Donald Trump's administration. A letter to 'Jospeh Tirrell' sent on July 11 and seen by The Independent notes his termination is 'effective immediately' but does not state a reason why he was abruptly fired. Joseph Tirrell, who had served as the director of the Justice Department's ethics office since 2023, was responsible for reviewing financial disclosures and other matters related to the attorney general's office and other top law enforcement officials. He led a team of roughly 30 people to ensure government lawyers and other officials adhered to ethical guidelines. 'My public service is not over, and my career as a federal civil servant is not finished,' he wrote Monday on LinkedIn. 'I took the oath at 18 as a midshipman to 'support and defend the Constitution of the United States.' I have taken that oath at least five more times since then. That oath did not come with the caveat that I need only support the Constitution when it is easy or convenient.' Tirrell's firing follows Bondi's purge of roughly 20 Justice Department employees involved in former Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigations into the former president. Tirrell had reportedly approved Smith's receipt of $140,000 in pro bono legal fees from the firm Covington & Burling before his resignation. It is unclear whether Tirrell's firing is related. Pam Bondi abruptly fired the director of the Justice Department's ethics office on July 11 as career prosecutors quit the agency in droves (AFP via Getty Images) Shortly after taking office, the president dismissed the government's top ethics watchdog, sparking a legal battle that reached the Supreme Court. That independent Office of Government Ethics would regularly consult with Tirrell's team. Tirrell's sudden firing also 'shines a bright spotlight back on her own glaring ethical conflicts and how she's handled major DOJ decisions involving her former clients, including the government of Qatar and Pfizer, according to Jon Golinger with democratic advocacy group Public Citizen. 'The question this drastic firing raises is: are there even worse ethics problems Bondi is trying to hide?' Career prosecutors are also quitting the agency in droves since Trump's election. More than 100 lawyers at the Justice Department's federal programs bench, which defends the president's policy actions in court, have left their positions in recent months. Roughly 250 attorneys at the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division — accounting for 70 percent of the lawyers there – also quit the agency within the first few months of the Trump administration. The latest shakeups at the Justice Department also arrive as the administration fumbles for answers about investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, as MAGA loyalists turn on the president, Bondi and other top law enforcement officials over the administration's failure to release more information about the sex offender and his alleged client list. The Justice Department last week said Epstein, who was facing charges of sex trafficking, did not leave behind such a list, though Bondi in February suggested it was on her desk. She later said she was referring to the overall case. But the Justice Department ultimately concluded that public disclosure of such materials would be inappropriate and remain under seal by a federal judge, frustrating the president's supporters and conspiracy theorists who have linked the Epstein case to allegations of a wider corruption and sex abuse scandal involving minors and powerful figures. The Independent has requested comment from the Justice Department.
CBS News
9 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Bondi ousts top ethics official at the Justice Department
Washington — Attorney General Pam Bondi last week ousted the senior ethics attorney at the Justice Department who advised her and other senior officials on employee ethics, the latest firing that has come amid an ongoing purge of department employees. Joseph Tirrell, who was director of the Departmental Ethics Office, wrote in a post on LinkedIn that he received a letter signed by Bondi on Friday informing him that he had been removed from his position. The letter stated that his employment with the Justice Department "is hereby terminated, and you are removed from federal service effective immediately." Tirrell wrote that in his role as the director of the Departmental Ethics Office, he was responsible for advising Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on employee ethics and oversaw the day-to-day operations of the department's ethics program. "My public service is not over, and my career as a federal civil servant is not finished," he wrote. "I took the oath at 18 as a Midshipman to 'support and defend the Constitution of the United States.' I have taken that oath at least five more times since then. That oath did not come with the caveat that I need only support the Constitution when it is easy or convenient. I look forward to finding ways to continue in my personal calling of service to my country." Tirrell began working at the Justice Department's ethics office in 2018 and became its director in 2023. He worked at the FBI for more than 10 years, and has spent more than two decades in federal service, according to the Justice Department. A Justice Department source told CBS News that the agency has also pushed out an ethics adviser to Blanche, the deputy attorney general, and still does not have leadership officials at the department's Office of Professional Responsibility. The office was established in the wake of the Watergate scandal and aims to hold Justice Department attorneys accountable. Jeffrey Ragsdale, the former head of the Office of Professional Responsibility, was removed from his post earlier this year, according to the Washington Post, and the office's website does not name a current leader. Charles Work, a former assistant U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia, told CBS News that the Justice Department has removed those serving as its internal watchdogs. "For prosecutors who encounter issues, problems or orders to violate their professional obligations, there is no more recourse. There is nowhere to turn for help," he said. Since President Trump returned to the White House, administration officials have overseen a gutting of the Justice Department. Just days after his inauguration, roughly a dozen Justice Department employees who worked for former special counsel Jack Smith were removed from their roles. More than 20 employees who worked on Smith's investigations into Mr. Trump were also fired last week, a source familiar with the removals told CBS News. Those who were removed from their roles include paralegals who worked in Smith's office, finance and support staff, and two federal prosecutors in North Carolina and Florida, sources told CBS News. One of the impacted employees, Patty Hartman, who was a top public affairs specialist, told CBS News that the line that aimed to keep the Justice Department's work separate from the White House is "very definitely gone." Hartman worked on the public affairs team for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, which shared press releases about those charged for their alleged roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. On his first day back in office, Mr. Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 defendants who were convicted of crimes related to the attack.
The Independent
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Pam Bondi misspells DoJ ethic director's name in letter firing him
Attorney General Pam Bondi has dismissed Joseph Tirrell, the ethics director at the Department of Justice, in a letter that misspelled his name and gave no reason for his immediate termination. Tirrell, who led a team ensuring ethical adherence among government lawyers and officials, had approved pro bono legal fees for Special Counsel Jack Smith, though it is unclear if this is related to his firing. His termination is the latest in a significant departure of career prosecutors from the Justice Department during the Trump administration, following Bondi's purge of staff involved in investigations. Critics suggest Tirrell's abrupt dismissal highlights Attorney General Bondi's own ethical conflicts and raises concerns about potential hidden issues within the department. The shake-up at the Justice Department also coincides with the administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigations, which has drawn criticism from supporters.
The Independent
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Pam Bondi abruptly fires Justice Department's top ethics chief in four-sentence letter
Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired the ethics director at the Department of Justice in a four-sentence letter that misspells his name, marking the latest departure from the agency during a mass exodus of career prosecutors under Donald Trump's administration. A letter to 'Jospeh Tirrell' sent on July 11 and seen by The Independent notes his termination is 'effective immediately' but does not state a reason why he was abruptly fired. Tirrell, who had served as the director of the Justice Department's ethics office since 2023, was responsible for reviewing financial disclosures and other matters related to the attorney general's office and other top law enforcement officials. He led a team of roughly 30 people to ensure government lawyers and other officials adhered to ethical guidelines. 'My public service is not over, and my career as a federal civil servant is not finished,' he wrote on LinkedIn on Monday. 'I took the oath at 18 as a midshipman to 'support and defend the Constitution of the United States.' I have taken that oath at least five more times since then. That oath did not come with the caveat that I need only support the Constitution when it is easy or convenient.' Tirrell's firing follows Bondi's purge of roughly 20 Justice Department employees involved in former Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigations into the former president. Tirrell had reportedly approved Smith's receipt of $140,000 in pro bono legal fees from the firm Covington & Burling before his resignation. It is unclear whether Tirrell's firing is related. Shortly after taking office, the president dismissed the government's top ethics watchdog, sparking a legal battle that reached the Supreme Court. That independent Office of Government Ethics would regularly consult with Tirrell's team. Tirrell's sudden firing also 'shines a bright spotlight back on her own glaring ethical conflicts and how she's handled major DOJ decisions involving her former clients, including the government of Qatar and Pfizer, according to Jon Golinger with democratic advocacy group Public Citizen. 'The question this drastic firing raises is: are there even worse ethics problems Bondi is trying to hide?' Career prosecutors are also quitting the agency in droves since Trump's election. More than 100 lawyers at the Justice Department's federal programs bench, which defends the president's policy actions in court, have left their positions in recent months. Roughly 250 attorneys at the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division — accounting for 70 percent of the lawyers there – also quit the agency within the first few months of the Trump administration. The latest shakeups at the Justice Department also arrive as the administration fumbles for answers about investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, as MAGA loyalists turn on the president, Bondi and other top law enforcement officials over the administration's failure to release more information about the sex offender and his alleged client list. The Justice Department last week said Epstein, who was facing charges of sex trafficking, did not leave behind such a list, though Bondi in February suggested it was on her desk. She later said she was referring to the overall case. But the Justice Department ultimately concluded that public disclosure of such materials would be inappropriate and remain under seal by a federal judge, frustrating the president's supporters and conspiracy theorists who have linked the Epstein case to allegations of a wider corruption and sex abuse scandal involving minors and powerful figures.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Pam Bondi fires US justice department's top ethics adviser
The US attorney general, Pam Bondi, fired the justice department's top ethics adviser on Friday, the latest in a series of dismissals that comes as Donald Trump and allies have sought retribution against civil servants in the agency. Joseph Tirrell, who had served as the head of the justice department's ethics office, since 2023, revealed he had been fired in a post on LinkedIn. He shared Bondi's letter to him, which misspelled his name and did not give a reason for his termination. Neither Tirrell nor the justice department returned a request for comment. 'My public service is not over, and my career as a Federal civil servant is not finished,' Tirrell wrote in the post. 'I took the oath at 18 as a Midshipman to 'support and defend the constitution of the United States'. I have taken that oath at least five more times since then. That oath did not come with the caveat that I need only support the constitution when it is easy or convenient.' Tirrell was responsible for reviewing financial disclosures and other matters related to Bondi and other top officials in the justice department, according to Bloomberg Law. He oversaw a team of about 30 people that ensured the department's ethical guidelines were being followed. Tirrell's firing comes as Bondi has begun firing career employees connected to Jack Smith's investigation into Trump. Those firings have included career prosecutors as well as support staff. The firings also come as Ed Martin, a prominent defender of January 6 rioters, was chosen to lead a working group in the department investigating so-called weaponization of officials who investigated Trump. It's unclear if Tirrell's dismissal is related to January 6-related terminations. Earlier this year, Tirrell signed off on $140,000 worth of free legal services given to Smith before he resigned, according to Politico.
