Multiple federal prosecutors working out of the Department of Justice’s office in the Southern District of Florida (SDFL) are reportedly concerned about violating their professional ethics if asked to indict one of President Donald Trump’s political adversaries.
According to a Monday article by MSNBC’s Vaughn Hillyard and Laura Barrón-López, an unnamed source within the SDFL revealed that prosecutors are resigning rather than being assigned to contentious cases. Two prosecutors recently quit after being asked to participate in a “conspiracy” investigation involving former intelligence and law enforcement officials, the source said.
U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones, whom Trump appointed in March, reportedly convened a rare meeting of the major crimes unit—which includes several dozen attorneys—following the departures of the two prosecutors. The source told Hillyard and Barrón-López that “everyone is on pins and needles” about potentially being assigned to cases linked to Trump’s claims that former President Barack Obama and former CIA Director John Brennan should be arrested.
One resignation was specifically attributed to the prosecutor expressing that involvement in such an investigation would violate their ethical responsibilities. Neither of the two career prosecutors who resigned had previously worked on high-profile cases of this magnitude.
The SDFL is also said to be bypassing traditional protocol in issuing subpoenas. When approximately 30 subpoenas relating to the Trump-Russia investigation were issued last week, many were signed by Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Manolo Reboso. Typically, Reboso’s role as the third-most senior official in SDFL focuses on operations and human resources rather than criminal investigations.
MSNBC reported that subpoenas are usually signed by career prosecutors, suggesting that Reboso’s signature may indicate difficulties in getting rank-and-file prosecutors to endorse these documents. The source described these subpoenas as “performative.”
These recent resignations in SDFL reflect a broader pattern of talent loss at the DOJ. The Washington Post reported Monday that the department has lost more than 5,500 employees since the start of Trump’s second term due to resignations, firings, and buyout offers from the administration.
Moreover, the DOJ is facing challenges in recruitment, with many top law school graduates reportedly no longer viewing the department as an aspirational career destination.
https://www.alternet.org/doj-prosecutors-trump-enemies/