Resigned ahead of a large-scale investigation by a parliament dominated by the Democratic Party…Possibility of an expanded 'escape rush
(Washington=Yonhap News) Correspondent Baek Na-ri = Following a crushing defeat in the midterm elections, the U.S. Republican Party has seen a series of resignations from senior Justice Department officials.
According to the U.S. political news outlet Politico on the 6th (local time), Deputy Assistant Secretary John Eisenberg, who was in charge of the Department of Justice's National Security Division, resigned that day. Deputy Assistant Secretary Eisenberg oversaw investigations into terrorism, leaks of classified information, and the indictment of espionage cases. The Department of Justice's National Security Division was also involved in the indictment of former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton, who had been criticized of President Donald Trump.
Federal Prosecutor Jason Quinones, who handled several major cases including the former Cuban President Raúl Castro case, is also leaving the Department of Justice. Politico reported that Kienones has overseen investigations into numerous former officials who have criticized President Trump, including former CIA Director John Brennan. It was also Kinyones who handled the Trump campaign's Russia scandal during the 2016 presidential election and the allegations that the 2020 election was rigged.
The day before, Deputy Assistant Secretary Harmit Dillon, who was in charge of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, resigned. Deputy Assistant Secretary Dillon overhauled the Civil Rights Division, which had focused on eradicating racism and expanding citizenship, to a more conservative agenda, and three-quarters of its staff left the agency.
Since President Trump's return to power, the Department of Justice has been plagued by controversy over politicization. When the Justice Department failed to produce satisfactory results despite urging it to lead the investigation into his political opponents, President Trump replaced the Attorney General with his close aide Todd Blanch and increased pressure on the department. Secretary Blanch has sparked controversy with a series of actions that go against the Department of Justice's political neutrality, including delivering a speech at the Republican midterm congressional convention. On the day of the midterms, the largest election monitoring team in history was also dispatched. With a landslide victory in the midterm elections, the Democrats now controlling both chambers of Congress, they are determined to thoroughly investigate the Trump administration's corruption allegations and unilateral policy push. The Ministry of Justice also appears likely to be the subject of a broad investigation. As a result, resignations of senior officials are likely to follow not only in the Department of Justice but also in other major agencies of the Trump administration. nari@yna.co.kr Baek Nari (nari@yna.co.kr )
Perhaps the lame-duck period may have already begun.
