Bondi Fires 20 Justice Department Employees Linked to Jack Smith’s Investigations Into Trump
Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired more than 20 Department of Justice employees who worked with former Special Counsel Jack Smith on two investigations into the January 6 riot at the Capitol and President Trump’s handling of classified documents.
The investigations centered around Mr. Trump’s handling of classified documents and his efforts to dispute the 2020 election results, which led to riots at the Capitol. According to sources cited by Reuters, nearly 20 DOJ staff members were terminated late Friday. The new dismissals bring the total number of Smith-related firings to 34 with 15 more looming, Axios reported.
Among those fired were at least seven support staff who had worked closely with Mr. Smith’s investigations focused on Mr. Trump’s alleged illegal possession of classified documents kept at his Mar-a-Lago estate and the government’s efforts to recover them. Mr. Trump faced numerous felony charges stemming from the case, but pleaded not guilty.
In addition, Mr. Smith was investigating Mr. Trump’s alleged involvement in a fake elector scheme and his role in the events leading up to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Mr. Smith dropped both cases after Mr. Trump won the White House in 2024, citing DOJ protocol against prosecuting sitting presidents.
The recent firings were reportedly informed by Ms. Bondi’s “Weaponization Working Group,” an internal DOJ body tasked with investigating perceived abuses in the legal system and ferreting out political enemies of Mr. Trump.
“The 20 ousted Friday included lawyers, support staff and U.S. marshals,” one Justice official told Axios. “In some cases, the staffers had volunteered for duty to investigate or prosecute Trump. Prior to Bondi taking office, 14 other Smith-related officials were fired.”
The investigations centered around Mr. Trump’s handling of classified documents and his efforts to dispute the 2020 election results, which led to riots at the Capitol. According to sources cited by Reuters, nearly 20 DOJ staff members were terminated late Friday. The new dismissals bring the total number of Smith-related firings to 34 with 15 more looming, Axios reported.
Among those fired were at least seven support staff who had worked closely with Mr. Smith’s investigations focused on Mr. Trump’s alleged illegal possession of classified documents kept at his Mar-a-Lago estate and the government’s efforts to recover them. Mr. Trump faced numerous felony charges stemming from the case, but pleaded not guilty.
In addition, Mr. Smith was investigating Mr. Trump’s alleged involvement in a fake elector scheme and his role in the events leading up to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Mr. Smith dropped both cases after Mr. Trump won the White House in 2024, citing DOJ protocol against prosecuting sitting presidents.
The recent firings were reportedly informed by Ms. Bondi’s “Weaponization Working Group,” an internal DOJ body tasked with investigating perceived abuses in the legal system and ferreting out political enemies of Mr. Trump.
“The 20 ousted Friday included lawyers, support staff and U.S. marshals,” one Justice official told Axios. “In some cases, the staffers had volunteered for duty to investigate or prosecute Trump. Prior to Bondi taking office, 14 other Smith-related officials were fired.”
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