Former Jan. 6 Prosecutor And Ex-doj Employees Sue Trump Administration Over Firings

WASHINGTON — It was precocious day connected nan past Friday successful June, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Gordon was successful his agency successful Tampa, Florida, interviewing a unfortunate for an upcoming proceedings via Zoom.

Alongside a typical agent, Gordon was preparing nan unfortunate to beryllium a witnesser successful a Justice Department lawsuit against a lawyer who nan Justice Department alleged had been scamming clients.

There was a sound astatine nan door, Gordon later told NBC News, and he didn’t answer; astatine nan U.S. Attorney's Office successful nan Middle District of Florida, location was a civilization of not conscionable popping successful erstwhile nan doorway is closed. But nan doorway popped open, and location stood nan agency manager, ashen-faced.

The agency head is successful complaint of security, and Gordon thought for a infinitesimal that thing mightiness person happened to his family. Gordon muted nan Zoom call, and nan agency head handed him a portion of paper.

It was a one-page missive signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi. He'd been terminated from national service.

"No explanation. No beforehand warning. No explanation of what nan origin was," Gordon said successful an interview. "Now, I knew why. I knew it had to beryllium my Jan. 6 work."

Gordon had been elder proceedings counsel successful nan Capitol Siege Section of nan U.S. Attorney's Office successful Washington, which prosecuted alleged rioters progressive successful nan Jan. 6 onslaught connected nan U.S. Capitol. His title reflected immoderate of nan high-profile cases he'd taken connected during nan Jan. 6 investigation and nan domiciled he played successful helping different national prosecutors.

At nan clip of his firing, Gordon had agelong been moving connected different cases backmost location successful Florida. He had precocious been assigned to co-lead a lawsuit against 2 group accused of stealing much than $100 cardinal from a aesculapian spot for group pinch disabilities, arsenic good arsenic injured workers and retirees. Just 2 days earlier he was fired, he'd received an "outstanding" standing connected his capacity review.

Now, on pinch 2 different precocious fired Justice Department employees, Gordon is pushing back, suing nan Trump management precocious Thursday complete their dismissals. The suit argues that nan normal procedures national labor are expected to spell done to reside their grievances — nan Merit Systems Protection Board — are fundamentally surgery because of nan Trump administration's actions.

MSPB is simply a quasi-judicial assemblage that is meant to settee disputes betwixt labor and their agencies, but nan suit argues it "cannot usability arsenic intended" because of President Donald Trump's firing of MSPB personnel Cathy Harris. A national tribunal issued a imperishable injunction reinstating Harris, but nan Supreme Court stayed nan injunction, allowing Harris' removal. Now nan MSPB lacks a quorum to ballot connected immoderate petitions for review, while MSPB administrative judges are "overwhelmed" because of nan government's termination of thousands of national employees.

Gordon revenge nan suit alongside Patricia Hartman, who was a apical spokesperson for nan U.S. Attorney's Office for nan District of Columbia, and Joseph Tirrell, who was head of nan Departmental Ethics Office, earlier nan Trump management dismissed them this year. Tirrell, an FBI and Navy veteran, had 19 years of national civilian service, on pinch six years of subject service, erstwhile he was fired.

Hartman, who had worked for various Justice Department components for almost 2 decades, oversaw news releases and media responses related to nan Jan. 6 prosecutions, which was nan largest investigation successful FBI history, involving much than 1,500 defendants.

“I was ne'er fixed an mentation for my termination," Hartman told NBC News. "Based connected my capacity reviews, which person ever been outstanding, I person to judge that thing other was driving this. The bottommost statement is this, successful my mind, amounts to psychological terrorism. You are removing group who were bully aliases fantabulous astatine their jobs pinch nary explanation.”

The lawyers connected nan suit are Abbe Lowell, Norm Eisen, Heidi Burakiewicz and Mark Zaid, a whistleblower lawyer who has been targeted by nan Trump administration, which stripped his information clearance after Trump named him successful an executive order. Zaid has since sued.

The caller management has fired astir 200 Justice Department employees, according to Justice Connection, an statement that was group up to support Justice Department employees.

"The measurement successful which these labor person been terminated seems for illustration a beautiful clear usurpation of nan Civil Service Protection Act and wide law owed process protections, and it's been destabilizing for nan workforce, because cipher knows erstwhile they're going to beryllium next," said Stacy Young, a erstwhile Justice Department employee. “I perceive from labor each nan clip who show maine they aftermath up successful nan greeting terrified that coming will beryllium their day. It feels to a batch of them for illustration psychological warfare.”

Gordon was fired the aforesaid time 2 different Jan. 6 prosecutors were fired past month. He’d started retired arsenic a authorities charismatic successful New York City and began his profession arsenic a national charismatic successful January 2017, moving successful nan convulsive crimes and narcotics section. When he saw what happened connected Jan. 6 and nan telephone spell retired wrong nan Justice Department for assistance prosecuting those involved, he signed up, he told NBC News.

Jason Manning, a former national charismatic who worked connected Jan. 6 cases, arsenic well, said Gordon executed back-to-back tests "flawlessly" and played a captious domiciled successful supporting others successful nan unit.

"On a ample squad of fantabulous and hard-working people, Mike really stood retired arsenic a leader connected nan team, arsenic personification who prosecuted immoderate of nan astir notorious defendants and immoderate of nan astir highly watched and high-pressure and captious cases," Manning said.

Among them was nan lawsuit against Ray Epps, who was nan target of mendacious conspiracy theories claiming he was a national authorities plant, earlier he was yet charged by national prosecutors, who sought to nonstop him to situation for six months. A judge yet sentenced Epps to probation, citing nan effect nan conspiracy theories had connected his life.

After Trump became nan Republican statesmanlike nominee past year, national prosecutors moving nan Jan. 6 cases knew location was a consequence to their work, and they made acheronian jokes astir what could hap to them if Trump returned to office, aggregate sources adjacent to nan Justice Department person told NBC News. Now, those fears person go a reality.

When he returned to office, Trump quickly pardoned Jan. 6 defendants en masse, and probationary national prosecutors who worked connected Jan. 6 cases were fired, arsenic were group who worked connected special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation of Trump. Current FBI labor who worked connected nan Smith and Jan. 6 probes still wonderment what could hap to them down nan roadworthy aft nan Justice Department demanded a database of labor who worked connected those investigations.

"The group who volunteered for that item are immoderate of nan best, smartest, astir talented lawyers successful nan country," Gordon said, referring to Jan. 6 prosecutors. "It's not that someway nan management should conscionable pat itself connected nan backmost and say, 'Great, like, these are each heavy authorities Democrats that we're driving out.' That's not what's happening. They are either firing aliases pushing retired immoderate of nan astir talented group they have."