Former President Donald Trump has ordered the Justice Department to terminate all remaining U.S. attorneys appointed during the Biden administration. In a Truth Social post, Trump cited the need to "clean house" and "restore confidence" in a justice system he claims has been overly politicized. He stated that restoring a "fair Justice System" begins immediately and is crucial for America's "Golden Age."

Dismissing U.S. attorneys from prior administrations is typical, but the manner of these dismissals has raised eyebrows. While new administrations often request resignations, the White House reportedly issued termination notices last week to several U.S. attorneys nationwide. These attorneys are the chief federal law enforcement officers in their respective districts.

This move follows Trump's firing of several career federal prosecutors shortly after taking office. These prosecutors were involved in special counsel Jack Smith's investigations into Trump's handling of classified documents and attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. Notably, Smith himself had resigned before Trump assumed office.

Throughout the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump accused the Biden administration of using the Justice Department as a political weapon against him. He pledged to reform the agency if elected. In March 2024, he referred to the various legal cases against him as the "Biden trials," claiming they were a politically motivated attempt to derail his candidacy.

More recently, Trump's directive to the DOJ to drop a corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams led to the resignation of acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon and five other staff members. Sassoon, the interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, alleged that the Justice Department was complicit in a "quid pro quo."