Professional Justice Department officials are assigned to various positions: Reports
US Department of Justice (DOJ) President Donald Trump has reportedly appointed several high-ranking officials to various departments before his appointment to US Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Fox News has learned that several colleagues in the DOJ’s Crime and National Security Division have been removed from their current positions and reassigned.
While it’s difficult to fire a professional “just for cause,” reassignment is possible, and it appears to be the case.
Among those moved to other positions at the DOJ is Bruce Schwartz, the head of the Internal Affairs Office that handles extradition cases, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The same person told the wire service that about 20 officials have been reassigned.
Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States.
Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Justice, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee during her confirmation hearing at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, January 15. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Also, George Toskas, a veteran deputy assistant attorney general who over the past 10 years has been a key figure not only in overseeing terrorism and intelligence investigations at the National Security Division, but also in political initiatives, is said to have been transferred.
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 at Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
Toscas’ reassignment was confirmed to The Associated Press by another person familiar with the matter.
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Former President Trump in Palm Beach, Fla. May 4, 2024 The Republican National Committee headlines its spring donor retreat. (Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign)
“He’s seen everything on counterterrorism and counterintelligence,” a former colleague of Toscas, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Washington Post. “No one in the department knows more about prosecuting and investigating terrorists and spies than George Toscas.”
In addition to sources familiar with the matter, The Washington Post reported that Eun Young Choi, another deputy attorney general at the National Security Division, had been reassigned to the department and notified of the change by email Monday afternoon.
The DOJ declined to comment on the changes.
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Department of Justice in Washington, DC (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Hours after Trump was sworn in, the DOJ fired at least four top officials from the division that runs the nation’s immigration courts, which are currently backlogged.
The Washington Post He reported that there is a 120-day moratorium on some staff assignments after newly confirmed leaders take office under federal guidelines. Bondi has not yet been confirmed; Therefore, the ban is not yet implemented in the DOJ.
James McHenry is currently leading the DOJ as acting US attorney general after Merrick Garland left the department on Friday.
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It is common for a new administration to appoint its own employees to lead the DOJ, but the reasons for the moves were not immediately known.
The moves could mark further changes to the department’s interest in cases that Trump investigated in his first term, prosecuted twice last year and dropped after Trump’s election in November.
