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The Justice Department, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, has abruptly fired at least three federal prosecutors involved in cases stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, according to multiple reports.
Among those dismissed were two supervisory attorneys who oversaw Capitol riot prosecutions in the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., and a line prosecutor directly involved in trying several related cases, according to the Associated Press, citing sources familiar with the matter. NBC News is also reported to have independently confirmed the firings.
Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to the media on Friday in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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The prosecutors received termination letters signed by Bondi. According to both outlets, the letters provided no specific reason for the removals, citing only “Article II of the United States Constitution and the laws of the United States.” That phrase is often used in federal employment law to indicate the executive branch’s constitutional authority to appoint or remove personnel.
Fox News Digital contacted the Justice Department for confirmation and comment but did not immediately receive a response.
President Trump has repeatedly referred to the Jan. 6 defendants as political prisoners. On his first day back in the White House in January 2025, he pardoned or commuted the sentences of approximately 1,500 individuals who had been convicted or were incarcerated in connection with the Capitol attack.
Americans loyal to then-President Donald Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump has repeatedly referred to the Jan. 6 defendants as political prisoners. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
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The latest terminations follow a broader reshuffling of senior DOJ personnel.
In January, the department dismissed more than a dozen officials who had worked on Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into Trump. Then–Acting Attorney General James McHenry justified the removals by stating those individuals could not be trusted to “faithfully implement the president’s agenda.”
During his time as interim U.S. attorney in Washington, Ed Martin also demoted several prosecutors in the Capitol Siege Section, including two attorneys who had helped secure seditious conspiracy convictions against Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio.
The Justice Department under Attorney General Bondi has fired three federal prosecutors involved in the January 6 Capitol riot cases amid ongoing DOJ personnel reshuffling, per reports. (Reuters, File)
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In February, Attorney General Bondi ordered a review of the federal prosecution of Donald Trump and launched a broad internal audit aimed at “realigning the Justice Department’s priorities” in line with the White House agenda. That effort included the creation of a “weaponization working group” tasked with examining perceived “politicized justice” across federal law enforcement.
The group is also reportedly reviewing the actions of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought civil and criminal cases against Trump and his family.
The Associated Press and Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.Â
