Trump terminates US federal prosecutors handling criminal investigations against him

The Donald Trump administration has fired more than a dozen employees of US Justice Department who were involved in criminal investigations against the newly elected President while he was out of office.

The termination was issued on Jan 27 effective immediately to the employees who were linked to the prosecution of the Republican leader, according to anonymous sources within Trump’s government.

According to a report by Reuters news agency, the acting Attorney General James McHenry, appointed by Trump, had said that the prosecutors “could not be trusted to faithfully implement the President’s agenda because of their significant role in prosecuting the President.”

Trump assumed the President’s office on Jan 20 for a second term as president, after serving previously from 2017 to 2021.

The decision to dismiss the prosecutors comes amid a significant shakeup as power shifts from the Biden to the Trump administration.

During his election campaign, Trump promised to remove officials who were seen as disloyal or opposed to him.

Additionally, the Trump administration reassigned up to 20 senior Justice Department officials, including top ethics official Bradley Weinsheimer and former chief of the public corruption section Corey Amundson, who resigned on Jan 27.

The firings impacted prosecutors who had worked with former Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led two investigations into Trump before stepping down.

One of these probes centered on Trump’s retention of hundreds of classified documents at his private residence, despite a 2022 subpoena demanding their return.

At her confirmation hearing this month, Trump's pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi, assured she wouldn't play politics but did not rule out investigating Trump's opponents, such as special counsel Smith.