January 27, 2025
Acting Attorney General James McHenry fired more than a dozen career federal prosecutors on January 27, 2025, targeting attorneys who worked on Special Counsel Jack Smith's criminal cases against Donald Trump.
Acting AG James McHenry fired more than 12 career DOJ prosecutors on January 27, 2025 — seven days after Trump's inauguration
Named prosecutors fired include Molly Gaston, J.P. Cooney, Mary Dohrmann, and Anne McNamara, all of whom worked on Smith's two cases against Trump
McHenry's stated reason: these prosecutors could not be trusted to 'faithfully implement' the president's agenda due to their role in prosecuting him
Career prosecutors by tradition serve across administrations and are not fired based on the content of past lawful work
Gaston and Cooney challenged the firings as violations of civil service protections
Legal experts described the firings as 'unlawful and vindictive' and unprecedented in scope and intent
Former DOJ officials said the true purpose was deterrence
Acting Attorney General
Career DOJ Trial Attorney — fired
Career DOJ Trial Attorney — fired
Career DOJ Trial Attorney — fired
Career DOJ Trial Attorney — fired
Attorney General
Former Special Counsel
civic action
Contact your senators to press them on Merit Systems Protection Board independence
The MSPB is a little-known body that serves as the last procedural protection for federal career employees facing politically motivated firings. Citizens pressing senators on its independence put concrete stakes on an otherwise abstract accountability debate.
The Merit Systems Protection Board adjudicates federal employee firing disputes. When prosecutors are fired for their work on a specific case, they can file wrongful termination claims with the MSPB — but only if the board remains independent enough to rule against the administration that made the firings. Contact your senators through senate.gov and ask specifically: Do you support legislation to strengthen the independence of the Merit Systems Protection Board so it can adjudicate disputes involving political firings? Ask for a written response and keep a record of it.
research
Understand why civil service protections exist and what Congress can do to strengthen them
Civil service law is the structural foundation that keeps professional law enforcement from becoming a presidential tool. Understanding its history and current vulnerabilities gives citizens a framework for evaluating any administration's personnel decisions.
Civil service protections exist to prevent presidents from turning the federal workforce into a personal loyalty operation. These protections were established after the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883, which ended the spoils system of rewarding political supporters with government jobs. The protections have been eroded over time through executive orders and regulation changes. Congress can strengthen those protections through legislation. Search Congress.gov for bills related to civil service protections and federal workforce independence to see what your representatives have sponsored or opposed.
research
Track the long-term consequences of politicizing federal law enforcement
The consequences of politicizing federal law enforcement are not hypothetical — they follow predictable institutional patterns that researchers have documented across multiple countries and administrations.
When career law enforcement officials face punishment for lawful work, investigative quality across all future administrations degrades. Prosecutors self-censor to avoid becoming targets, institutional knowledge leaves, and the cases that get opened are the ones politically safe to pursue rather than the ones most important to national security or public integrity. Read the Brennan Center's research on executive power and prosecutorial independence at brennancenter.org to understand the historical record on what happens when administrations use the DOJ as a political tool — the evidence spans multiple administrations and parties.