The Trump administration has reassigned around 20 senior Justice Department attorneys, including four officials with over a decade of service, sources told Reuters. The unusual move highlights an effort to align the department with Trump’s policy goals, including his crackdown on illegal immigration. Several attorneys have been reassigned to the newly established Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group, tasked with challenging state and local policies conflicting with Trump’s immigration agenda.
This week, four career officials in the Executive Office of Immigration Review, including Director Mary Cheng and Chief Immigration Judge Sheila McNulty, were also dismissed. Critics, including former Justice Department prosecutor Randall Eliason, called these actions an attack on government expertise.
Among those reassigned are Corey Amundson, chief of the Public Integrity Section, and George Toscas, a senior official in the National Security Division. Amundson’s leadership spanned six years across two administrations, earning praise for his integrity. Toscas oversaw counterintelligence investigations and was linked to the FBI’s search of Trump’s Florida property. Eun Young Choi, who led the cryptocurrency enforcement initiative, and Bruce Swartz, deputy assistant attorney general focusing on international law, were also reassigned.
The Justice Department has not commented on the reassignments, which follow recent criminal cases against Trump for efforts to overturn the 2020 election and retaining classified documents. Trump has called for a review of Biden-era law enforcement activities, citing alleged misuse of prosecutorial power.
Observers see these moves as unprecedented and politically driven, potentially undermining the Justice Department's expertise and independence.