The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has reportedly reappointed several senior officials in various departments ahead of the expected confirmation of the president Donald TrumpNomination of Pam Bondi for US Attorney General.
Fox News was told that several career employees in the Justice Department's criminal and national security divisions have been removed from their current positions and reassigned.
While it is difficult to fire a professional “just because,” rehiring is possible, and it appears that this has already happened.
Among those who were transferred to other positions within Ministry of Justice He was Bruce Schwartz, head of the Internal Affairs Bureau, which handles extradition matters, a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press. The same person reportedly told the news agency that about 20 officials had been reassigned.
Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th President of the United States
Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Justice as Attorney General, is sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committee at her confirmation hearing, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on January 15. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Also reportedly transferred was George Toskas, a veteran deputy assistant attorney general in the National Security Division who not only helped oversee major terrorism and espionage investigations, but was also a key figure in politically motivated investigations over the past 10 years.
Toskas participated in the investigation into Hillary Clinton's handling of classified information as well as the investigation into Trump's possession of classified documents in (Mar-a-Lago, Florida)..
Toskas' reappointment was confirmed to The Associated Press by another person familiar with the matter.
Trump will take more than 200 executive actions on day one
Former President Trump chairs the Republican National Committee's spring donor meeting, in Palm Beach, Florida, May 4, 2024 (Donald Trump 2024 campaign)
“He saw it all in both counterterrorism and counterintelligence,” a former colleague of Toskas, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Washington Post. “There is no one in the department who knows as much about tracking down and investigating terrorists and spies as George Toskas.”
The Washington Post has also learned from sources familiar with the matter that Yoon Young Choi, another deputy assistant attorney general in the National Security Division, was reassigned within the department, and was notified of the change by email on Monday afternoon.
The Ministry of Justice declined to comment on the changes.
President Trump discovers a letter from former President Biden in Hazem's office
Department of Justice in Washington, DC (Ting Xin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Hours after Trump was sworn in, the Justice Department fired at least four senior officials from the department that runs the country's immigration courts, which are currently suffering from a backlog of cases.
The Washington Post There is a 120-day deferral for some staff reassignments after newly confirmed leaders begin their appointments, under federal guidelines, she said. Bondi has not yet been confirmed. Therefore, the moratorium has not yet entered into force in the Ministry of Justice.
Currently, James McHenry leads the Department of Justice as the then acting U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland left Section on Friday.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The reasons for these moves were not immediately known, although it is common that the new administration will appoint its own employees to lead the Justice Department.
The moves could also herald additional changes, given Trump's interest in the department, which investigated him during his first term and charged him twice last year in separate cases that never went to trial and were withdrawn after Trump's election victory in November.
