Washington, D.C., USA – President Donald Trump directed the Justice Department to fire all U.S. attorneys left over from the Biden administration, asserting that the agency had been “politicized like never before.”
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump announced, “Therefore, I have instructed the termination of ALL remaining ‘Biden Era’ U.S. Attorneys. We must ‘clean house’ IMMEDIATELY, and restore confidence. America’s Golden Age must have a fair Justice System – THAT BEGINS TODAY!”.
US’ standard procedure and recent actions
According to Yahoo, terminating U.S. attorneys from previous administrations is generally standard procedure.
Last week, the White House sent termination notices to several U.S. attorneys who had been appointed by Biden, serving as the top federal law enforcement officials in their assigned districts.
Typically, a new administration requests the resignation of a U.S. attorney being replaced, rather than issuing a termination letter.
However, days after taking office, Trump fired several career federal prosecutors involved in cases against him, including those working on special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation over his handling of classified documents and efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Trump’s accusations of weaponisation
During the 2024 presidential election, Trump accused the Biden administration of weaponizing the Justice Department against him in an effort to knock him out of the race, referring to the cases against him as the “Biden trials.”
Most recently, Trump ordered the DOJ to drop a case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who was facing corruption charges.
This directive prompted acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, along with five other staffers, to resign in protest, accusing the Justice Department of acceding to a “quid pro quo.”
Why is Trump firing US officials?
According to many sources, President Donald Trump has a history of firing U.S. officials, often citing reasons such as incompetence or political bias. During his first term, Trump dismissed several high-profile officials, including National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price.
In his second term, Trump continued this trend by firing multiple inspectors general and other officials who were involved in investigations against him or who he believed were not aligned with his administration’s goals. Trump’s recent directive to fire all remaining U.S. attorneys appointed by the Biden administration is part of his ongoing effort to “clean house” and restore confidence in the Justice System, which he claims has been politicized.