President Donald Trump, in a move reminiscent of many presidents before him, issued instructions for removing “all remaining ‘Biden Era’ U.S. Attorneys.”
“Over the past four years, the Department of Justice has been politicized like never before,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday. “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!”
Trump is hardly the first president to conduct such an action; President Bill Clinton fired 93 U.S. attorneys shortly after taking office in 1993, and President Obama “replaced” several U.S. attorneys starting in May 2009.
In February 2021, reports surfaced that the Biden administration would fire U.S. attorneys who the Senate confirmed during the Trump administration. “The resignation request is expected to apply to 56 Senate-confirmed US attorneys appointed by Trump,” CNN reported at the time. “Justice officials have scheduled a call with US attorneys around the country to discuss a transition that is expected to take weeks. The Justice official didn’t say when the resignations would take effect.”
In 2017, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions called for the resignation of 46 U.S. attorneys. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) threatened Trump on Twitter, writing, “Newsflash, @realDonaldTrump: The Senate confirms US Attorneys. And you’re not replacing real prosecutors with cronies w/out a massive fight.”
Newsflash, @realDonaldTrump: The Senate confirms US Attorneys. And you’re not replacing real prosecutors with cronies w/out a massive fight.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) March 12, 2017
Last weekend, it was reported that the Trump administration fired 20 immigration judges. Sirce Owen, acting director of the Department of Justice, stated that the Biden administration “severely undermined” the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), saying, “An effort to restore those values and to re-establish EOIR as a model administrative adjudicatory body is well underway. If all employees are willing to join that effort, then there will be no limit to what EOIR can achieve.”
In January, only days before Trump’s inauguration, the U.S. attorney whose office led prosecutions in cases related to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, stepped down.
U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves’ record with January 6 cases drew heavy criticism; Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) responded to Graves’ resignation by saying, “The pawn at the helm of DOJ’s targeting of Joe Biden’s political opponents — just resigned ahead of President Trump’s inauguration … The Swamp knows that justice is coming.”
