Bondi Fires 20 DOJ Staff Over Jan. 6, Trump Cases

Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired more than 20 Justice Department employees who worked on cases involving the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol and Donald Trump's handling of classified documents, sources told Axios.

The firings are part of a massive purge aimed at clearing DOJ of attorneys and support staff who took part in Special Counsel Jack Smith's prosecution of Trump for Jan. 6 and possessing classified documents unlawfully.

The new dismissals bring the total Smith-related firings to about 35.

About 15 more could face termination.

Reuters reported Friday night that nine staffers had been let go, but Axios sources said the number was 20 and as many as 37 people could ultimately be let go from offices in Washington, Virginia, Florida and other parts of the country.

The 20 ousted Friday included lawyers, support staff and U.S. marshals, one Justice official said. In some cases, the staffers had volunteered for duty to investigate or prosecute Trump. Prior to Bondi taking office, 14 other Smith-related officials were fired.

The staffers were identified in an internal investigation by Bondi's "Weaponization Working Group," which she established shortly after taking office as part of an effort to purge entrenched political enemies of Trump.

It's unclear how many of the remaining 15-17 employees will be dismissed as part of the internal "weaponization" review.