US officials investigating Trump`s case dismissed - CNN reports

In a letter from Acting US Attorney General James McHenry to the officials, it was stated that they could not be "trusted" to "faithfully" carry out Trump's agenda.

"You played a significant role in prosecuting President Trump. 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 implementing the President’s agenda faithfully," McHenry said.

The dismissals occurred as the Trump administration took concrete steps to investigate prosecutors who oversaw criminal cases against those accused of storming the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Trump has pledged retribution as a key promise of his election campaign.

Ed Martin, the interim US attorney in Washington, DC, launched an investigation into prosecutors who filed obstruction charges under Section 1512(c) of the US Code against some participants in the riots. These charges were eventually overturned by a Supreme Court ruling last summer.

In what Martin called a "special project," a memo released Monday instructed attorneys to submit "all information you have related to the use of 1512 charges, including all files, documents, notes, emails, and other information" to two long-term office prosecutors by Friday, January 31, who are tasked with preparing an investigation report.

Martin referenced the Supreme Court's June decision, which restricted the authority of federal prosecutors to file obstruction charges against participants in the January 6 riots. The document request also extends to prosecutors who have since left the US Attorney's Office.

CNN notes that this move came amid dramatic changes at the Department of Justice, where officials associated with high-profile investigations, including the now-closed case against Trump for his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, were reassigned.

Concern over memo

Prosecutors involved in the January 6 cases told CNN that the memo raises concerns, suggesting that Trump's Department of Justice is starting "investigations against investigators."

One person who worked on the Capitol riot cases told the media resource that prosecutors are unsure whether the investigation will lead to criminal or civil charges and that some are beginning to hire their own attorneys for protection.

A senior administration official familiar with Martin's email described it as a "fact-finding mission," calling it a "huge waste of resources."

"The prior office screwed up by filing hundreds of cases that ended up getting thrown out by the Supreme Court, it is worth getting to the bottom of poor decision making," the official said.

Ed Martin, a hardline, socially conservative activist and commentator who was an organizer with the “Stop the Steal” movement, was appointed the Acting US Attorney for Washington last week. Since starting the job, he has praised Trump for issuing mass pardons for January 6 defendants.

Capitol riot case and pardons

In July 2023, the US Department of Justice filed three charges against Trump in the Capitol riot case of January 6, 2021.

However, in June 2024, the Supreme Court raised the legal threshold for prosecutors bringing obstruction charges in the federal election interference case against Trump and defendants from the January 6 attack. The lower court was instructed to review the case.

Immediately after his inauguration as President of the United States, Trump decided to pardon his supporters who stormed the Capitol building.

Later, one of the pardoned individuals rejected the gesture, calling it a "slap in the face to the rule of law."