The White House terminated multiple U.S. attorneys on Wednesday evening amid a period of upheaval at the Justice Department initiated by President Donald Trump, who was himself a criminal defendant in two separate federal cases until they were dropped after his election in November.
The full extent of the terminations was not clear as of Thursday morning. The White House did not respond to a request for comment, and a Justice Department spokesman could not immediately provide a figure for how many of the nation's 93 U.S. attorneys in federal court districts across the country were impacted.
The departure of the remaining U.S. attorneys who were nominated by former President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate was expected at some point, but their immediate terminations by the White House were a departure from history. In the past, politically appointed U.S. attorneys had been asked to resign by the Justice Department.
The terminations impacted at least two court-appointed U.S. attorneys, including one career federal prosecutor who had previously worked Jan. 6 cases. A spokesperson for that court-appointed U.S. attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California Tara McGrath was “informed of her termination in a communication from the White House, at the direction of the President of the United States," according to a press release from McGrath’s office.
U.S. Attorney for Maryland Erek L. Barron and U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Dena J. King both announced their departures Wednesday but did not provide reasons. McGrath, Barron and King were Biden nominees confirmed by the Senate.
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington Tessa Gorman, who was a court-appointed top federal prosecutor, “was removed from her post,” a spokesperson said. Gorman first took on the role in an acting capacity before she was named to the role by former Attorney General Merrick Garland. The judges of the Western District of Washington named her to the position in May 2024.
A source familiar with the matter told NBC News that one of the fired U.S. attorneys received a letter from Trent Morse, the deputy director of the Office of Presidential Personnel, that read: “At the direction of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as U.S. Attorney is terminated, effective immediately.”
The White House’s direct involvement in the firings is unusual, as such decisions typically come from the Justice Department. During Trump’s first term, Attorney General Jeff Sessions asked U.S. Attorneys to resign, and only one U.S. attorney was terminated after they refused to resign.
During Biden’s term, Trump-appointed U.S. attorneys were asked to resign, and were given three weeks to depart at a set date, while a number of interim U.S. attorneys who were not Senate-confirmed (including those appointed by courts) remained. That action also originated from the Justice Department.
Since Trump took office 24 days ago, the Justice Department has been through a tremendous period of unrest. It started on the day of Trump's inauguration, when he issued a mass pardon for Jan. 6 rioters convicted in the biggest federal investigation in American history and then named an advocate for Capitol rioters the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
Since then, Trump's acting deputy attorney general — who himself worked Jan. 6 cases — fired federal prosecutors who had originally been hired to work Capitol cases and demanded a list of FBI employees who investigated the Capitol siege. The Trump administration also demanded a list of probationary FBI employees, raising fears of mass firings that would impact the bureau for years to come.
This story first appeared on chof360.com. More from NBC News:
