Trump push to prosecute Comey has led to DOJ staff being sidelined or demoted: report
Source: The Independent
Saturday 09 May 2026 18:43 EDT
President Donald Trump’s attempts to have the Department of Justice criminally indict his political foe, former FBI Director James Comey, has reportedly led to massive turnover of career prosecutors in a key U.S. attorney’s office in Virginia.
More than six prosecutors have been demoted or pushed out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia as a result of the push to indict Comey; some have left voluntarily out of fear of working on cases that violate their principles, those familiar with the office told the Washington Post.
In April Comey was indicted for a second time by Trump’s Justice Department, this time on two counts including willfully making a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States. Trump, who promised to go after his enemies during his campaign, has pushed the Justice Department to indict Comey and other political figures he considers his enemies.
When the former U.S. Attorney, Erik Siebert, raised concerns about insufficient evidence to prosecute Comey, Trump fired him. The interim U.S. attorney, Lindsay Halligan, was ousted after a judge determined the administration had unlawfully appointed her. Top officials have also been fired along the way. As a result, the U.S. attorney’s office has been understaffed, at least 10 current and former prosecutors told the newspaper.
Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/comey-prosecution-doj-staff-b2973676.html