The firings come months after President Donald Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people connected to the U.S. Capitol attack.
Proud Boys who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 sue government
Five members of the Proud Boys, a right-wing extremist group, are suing the government for $100 million.
The U.S. Department of Justice has reportedly fired at least three prosecutors connected to criminal cases stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the nation’s Capitol.
Both the Associated Press and NBC News reported the dismissals on June 27, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter and a letter signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi to one of the attorneys.
The move comes months after President Donald Trump’s administration launched a sweeping round of cuts targeting prosecutors, FBI agents and others who worked on cases related to the riot launched by his supporters that rocked the country in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. Trump also pardoned more than 1,500 people charged in the riot, referring to them as “hostages,” during his first day back in office.
Among those set free with Trump’s acts of clemency were Enrique Tarrio, leader of the far-right Proud Boys, who received the longest sentence of 22 years for seditious conspiracy.
Tarrio is among a group of five Proud Boys members suing the government for more than $100 million, claiming their constitutional rights were violated after being arrested and jailed for their participation in the effort to stop Congress from certifying former President Joe Biden’s election victory in 2020.
The DOJ did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment about the firings of its prosecutors.
Liberal-leaning critics of the administration said the firings underscore a broader pattern by Trump that has weaponized the justice system for his personal vendettas.
“The firing of three January 6 prosecutors is political retaliation, plain and simple,” said leaders with the Not Above the Law Coalition, one of the largest legal groups opposing Trump.
“Trump is once again using the levers of federal power to punish those who stand in his way,” the group added. “On day one, he pardoned violent criminals who assaulted police officers at the Capitol. Now he’s firing the prosecutors who held them accountable.”
