Bondi’s DOJ Firings Widen Beyond Minnesota as Career Prosecutors Purged Over Trump-Era Cases
A widening purge at the DOJ under Bondi has extended beyond Minnesota: five Minnesota assistant U.S. attorneys — including the office’s No. 2, Joseph Thompson — were formally terminated amid a dispute over an ICE shooting probe that the FBI has excluded Minnesota prosecutors from while state leaders launch a parallel investigation. The removals are part of a broader wave of firings and departures that has swept senior career prosecutors — including counterterrorism veteran Michael Ben’Ary, whose DOJ phone was reportedly disabled mid‑case — with Justice Connection estimating more than 230 DOJ lawyers were fired in 2025 and roughly 6,400 employees left overall.
📌 Key Facts
- Five Minnesota assistant U.S. attorneys, including office No. 2 Joseph Thompson, were formally terminated rather than simply placed on paid leave.
- Thompson told DOJ and the FBI he supported pursuing the ICE‑related shooting as an assault/obstruction on a federal officer and believed the shooting was justified, but he objected to DOJ’s plan to investigate the victim’s widow and potential co‑conspirators; his termination also pulled him off a high‑profile Minnesota welfare‑fraud investigation he had been leading.
- The FBI is excluding Minnesota prosecutors from the ICE shooting probe while state leaders have launched a parallel investigation; recent resignations of several Minnesota prosecutors over the matter are being treated as part of a wider pattern of turmoil under Bondi.
- Veteran counterterrorism prosecutor Michael Ben'Ary was among those summarily fired; his DOJ phone was reportedly remotely disabled while he was working on a Kabul airport bombing case that President Trump had highlighted in his State of the Union.
- Right‑wing commentator Julie Kelly publicly flagged Ben'Ary’s prior role with former Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco hours before his firing, raising questions that some firings may be politically targeted based on past service rather than performance.
- Justice Connection estimates that more than 230 DOJ lawyers, agents and other employees were fired in 2025 and roughly 6,400 DOJ staff departed overall, a turnover ABC says erased “centuries of combined experience” across national security, civil rights, ethics, environmental and Jan. 6 prosecutions.
- Former acting attorney general Stuart Gerson warned that losing senior career officials who “never viewed themselves as political” is “immensely damaging to the public interest.”
📊 Relevant Data
In the 2020 election cycle, employees of the US Department of Justice contributed a total of $2,958,525 to political campaigns, with $2,405,645 going to Democrats and $552,880 to Republicans.
US Dept of Justice Profile: Totals — OpenSecrets
The federal civilian workforce is more diverse than the overall US labor force, with Black employees comprising 18.3% of federal workers compared to 12.6% in the civilian labor force as of 2024.
Federal workforce is generally more diverse than the U.S. population, but gaps persist — GovExec
In 2025, nearly 5,500 career employees at the Justice Department quit, took a buyout, or were fired, contributing to a loss of institutional knowledge.
Justice Department loses thousands of staff as ex-Fox host Pirro's brief tenure ends — Yahoo News
The Saturday Night Massacre in 1973 involved President Nixon ordering the firing of special prosecutor Archibald Cox, leading to the resignations of the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General.
Saturday Night Massacre — Wikipedia
Rapid turnover at the Justice Department in 2025 has led to judges and juries casting a more skeptical eye at prosecutors' arguments in court.
How a year of rapid turnover has affected the work of the Justice Department — NPR
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Identifies veteran counterterrorism prosecutor Michael Ben'Ary as among those summarily fired, and details that his DOJ phone was remotely disabled while he was in the middle of a Kabul airport bombing case Trump had spotlighted in his State of the Union.
- Reports that right‑wing commentator Julie Kelly publicly flagged Ben'Ary’s prior role with former Deputy AG Lisa Monaco hours before his firing, suggesting political targeting based on past service rather than performance.
- Cites Justice Connection’s estimate that more than 230 DOJ lawyers, agents and other employees were fired in 2025 and roughly 6,400 departed overall, erasing 'centuries of combined experience' in national security, civil rights, ethics, environmental and Jan. 6 prosecutions.
- Quotes former acting attorney general Stuart Gerson warning that the loss of senior career people who 'never viewed themselves as political' is 'immensely damaging to the public interest.'
- Adds that the recent resignations of several Minnesota prosecutors over the ICE shooting investigation are part of this wider pattern of turmoil under Bondi.
- Confirms that five Minnesota AUSAs, including Joseph Thompson (the office’s No. 2), were formally terminated rather than just allowed to depart on paid leave.
- Clarifies that Thompson told DOJ and FBI he supported pursuing the case as an assault/obstruction on a federal officer and believed the shooting was justified.
- Adds that Thompson objected to DOJ’s plan to investigate Good’s widow and potential co‑conspirators, even while backing the broader assault‑on‑officer framing.
- Reports that Thompson’s termination pulls him off a high‑profile Minnesota welfare‑fraud investigation he had been leading.
- Reinforces that FBI is excluding Minnesota prosecutors from the ICE shooting probe while state leaders launch their own parallel investigation.