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The US Department of Justice (DOJ) reportedly reassigned several senior officials from various divisions ahead of the president’s early confirmation. donald trumpthe nomination of United States Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Fox News is told that several career employees in the DOJ’s criminal and homeland security divisions were removed from their current positions and reassigned.
While it’s difficult to fire a career person “just because,” reassignment is possible, and this seems to have happened.
Of those who were transferred to other positions within the DOJ it was Bruce Schwartz, head of the Internal Affairs Bureau, which handles extradition issues, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The same person reportedly told the hotline that about 20 officials had been reassigned.
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Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department as attorney general, is sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committee for her confirmation hearing, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on 15 January (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Also apparently moved was George Toscas, a veteran deputy assistant attorney general in the homeland security division who not only helped oversee major terrorism and espionage investigations but also was a key figure in the probes. politically motivated during the last 10 years.
Toscas was involved in the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s handling of classified information, as well as the investigation into Trump’s possession of classified documents in Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
Toscas’ reassignment was confirmed to The Associated Press by another person familiar with the matter.
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Former President Trump headlines a Republican National Committee spring donor retreat in Palm Beach, Florida on May 4, 2024 (Donald Trump 2024 Campaign)
“He’s seen it all in both counterterrorism and counterintelligence,” a former colleague of Toscas, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Washington Post. “There is no one in the department who knows as much about the pursuit and investigation of terrorists and spies as George Toscas.”
The Washington Post also learned from sources familiar with the matter that Eun Young Choi, another deputy assistant attorney general in the national security division, was reassigned within the department and was notified of the change by email Monday afternoon .
The DOJ declined to comment on the changes.
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The Department of Justice in Washington, DC (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Hours after Trump took the oath of office, the DOJ removed at least four top officials from the division that operates the nation’s immigration courts, which are currently backlogged.
The Washington Post reported that there is a 120-day moratorium on some staff reassignments after newly confirmed leaders begin their appointments, in accordance with federal guidelines. Bondi has yet to be confirmed; therefore, the moratorium is not yet in effect at the DOJ.
James McHenry currently leads the DOJ as the US Attorney General after Merrick Garland left the department on Friday.
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The reasons for the moves were not immediately known, although it is common for a new administration to appoint its own staff to lead the DOJ.
The moves could also portend additional changes given Trump’s interest in the department, which investigated him during his first term and charged him twice last year in separate cases that never went to trial and were dropped after Trump’s election victory in November.
