Feb. 1 (UPI) — Dozens of prosecutors have been let go from the U.S. Justice Department, as President Donald Trump‘s administration follows through on promises to retaliate against those involved in investigations into the Jan. 6, 2020, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
The news comes as Trump continues his re-shuffling at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with several high-ranking agents already let go and dozens more expected to be fired.
There are temporary leaders at the two law enforcement agencies. The U.S. Senate is considering the nominations of Pam Bondi as attorney general and Kash Patel as FBOI director.
The Justice Department career civil servants were notified by email Friday evening, POLITICO reported after reviewing some of the correspondences.
All are believed to have worked to prosecute hundreds of Jan. 6 cases.
“Firing prosecutors because of cases they were assigned to work on is just unacceptable,” former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance, an NBC News legal contributor, said. “It’s anti-rule of law; it’s anti-democracy.”
The head of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, David Sundberg, was one of the casualties Friday afternoon, the Atlantic reported. Sundberg handled sensitive national security and counterintelligence issues for the bureau.
More agents are expected to be fired this week, with Justice Department officials demanding a list of any FBI member that worked to assist investigations related to Trump. Once the list is in-hand, the DOJ will “determine whether any additional personnel actions are necessary,” CNN reported, after obtaining an email from acting FBI director Brian Driscoll.
Driscoll in the letter said: “We understand this request encompasses thousands of employees across the country who have supported these investigations. I am one of those employees, as is acting Deputy Director Kissane.”
The list could include thousands of names.
“For each employee included in the lists, provide the current title, office to which the person is assigned, role in the investigation or prosecution, and date of last activity relating to the investigation or prosecution,” acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove wrote to Driscoll in the email obtained by CNN.
Bove is Trump’s former defense attorney.
“Upon timely receipt of the requested information, the Office of the Deputy Attorney General will commence a review process to determine whether any additional personnel actions are necessary.”
A letter was sent to the DOJ fire employees.
“You played a significant role in prosecuting President Trump,” the letter said, according to parts read to NBC News. “The proper functioning of government critically depends on the trust superior officials place in their subordinates. Given your significant role in prosecuting the president, I do not believe that the leadership of the department can trust you to assist in implement the president’s agenda faithfully.”
The letter said the employees may appeal the decisions to the federal Merit Systems Protection Board.
“They have civil service rights. They have due process rights,” former Justice Department lawyer Julie Zebrak, an expert in federal employment law, told NBC News. “There is a reason people say it’s so hard to fire federal employees.”
Trump shortly after taking office signed an executive order to “end the weaponization of the federal government.”
Earlier in the week, the Justice Department fired over a dozen lawyers who were responsible for conducting investigations into Trump himself during his four years out of the Oval Office.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra was also let go earlier in the week, the latest round of firings of federal officials carried out by the Trump administration.