DOJ Chief Urges Wartime Footing, Warns of US Attorney Purges (1) – Bloomberg Law News

DOJ Chief Urges Wartime Footing, Warns of US Attorney Purges (1)  Bloomberg Law News

Justice Department leaders plan to force out additional US attorneys while preparing those who remain for wartime footing after their party’s midterms losses, a top official warned the nation’s chief prosecutors Monday. In the first meeting for DOJ’s field office leaders since since voters repudiated the Trump agenda at the polls, Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Aakash Singh advised US attorneys and their first assistants to consider resigning if they’re not prepared for full-on battle and to obey the administration’s orders, said three people briefed on the call. His message signaled that incoming Democratic congressional leaders preparing to aggressively investigate DOJ’s conduct won’t deter Attorney General Todd Blanche from pursuing the same top-down agenda over the next two years that has curbed US attorneys’ prior quasi-autonomy and moved their focus closer to the president’s political priorities.

Singh referenced the recent departures of other senior department officials — which included the top prosecutor in Miami — before previewing that more US attorneys will be pushed out imminently, said the individuals, who spoke anonymously about internal deliberations. He didn’t specify which prosecutors he had in mind, but cautioned that some US attorneys may want to talk to their families and voluntarily leave before it’s no longer their choice. Separately, Singh renewed prior directives for US attorneys to focus resources on fraud against