Attorney General Pam Bondi has dismissed more than 20 Justice Department employees who were working on cases related to the January 6 Capitol riot and to former President Trump’s handling of classified documents, according to a Saturday report.
The dismissals are part of a broad purge intended to remove DOJ attorneys and support staff involved in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutions of Trump, both over the January 6 Capitol riot and his possession of classified documents.
“The new dismissals bring the total Smith-related firings to about 35,” Axios reported, adding: “About 15 more could face termination.”
Reuters initially reported that nine staffers were dismissed Friday night, but Axios sources put the number at 20, and as many as 37 people could ultimately be let go from offices in Washington, Virginia, Florida, and elsewhere.
The 20 ousted on Friday included attorneys, support staff, and U.S. marshals, some of whom had volunteered to work on investigations or prosecutions related to Trump. Before Bondi assumed office, 14 other officials connected to Smith’s team had already been dismissed, Axios reported.
Bondi’s “Weaponization Working Group,” created soon after she took office to identify entrenched political opponents of Trump, flagged the affected staffers during its internal review. A
xios reports that it remains uncertain how many of the additional 15–17 employees under review will ultimately be dismissed as part of this “weaponization” investigation.
“We’re reviewing and making sure,” an administration official told Axios. “Some of these people were burrowed deep, and we’re finding them and making a determination.”
Initially, the firings were supposed to take place earlier this week. However, these actions were postponed as the administration managed the internal fallout from its announcement that Jeffrey Epstein had no incriminating “client list” and that his 2019 death in a New York City prison cell was ruled a suicide rather than murder.
The announcement about Epstein took many MAGA influencers by surprise—they argue there’s still more to uncover about the financier and sex trafficker’s death and had expected Trump and Bondi to deliver on their promises to expose the salacious details in the government’s Epstein files, Axios noted.
It also sparked a confrontation on Wednesday between Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who had previously promoted Epstein conspiracy theories and was displeased with her handling of the announcement.
Sources told Axios that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche played a key role in pausing the terminations initially, insisting the department only dismiss staffers not aligned with the Trump administration.
“Bondi has defended her decisions by saying she’s removing prosecutors who were too political in pursuing Trump, the chief rival of then-President Biden,” the outlet added.
Bondi has “every intention to stay and serve” after the reportedly heated clash with Bongino over the Epstein files fallout.
The news of Bondi’s alleged decision was reported by “Florida’s Voice” Assistant News Director Eric Daugherty, who cited Fox News as his source.
Several sources told CNN that Bongino didn’t show up for work on Friday, fueling talk that he might be stepping down.
One of those sources said that as of Friday afternoon, he had not officially left his post.
“The whole thing has been a complete mess and no one is happy,” one source briefed on the situation told CNN.
Blanche has attempted to shut down reports of widespread chaos and discontent within DOJ and the FBI over the Epstein case.
He wrote on X, “The suggestion by anyone that there was any daylight between the FBI and DOJ leadership on this memo’s composition and release is patently false.”