Justice Department leaders plan to fire new U.S. attorneys while preparing those who will remain on a war footing after their party’s midterm defeats, a senior official with the nation’s top prosecutors warned Monday.
In the first meeting of Justice Department leaders since voters rejected Trump’s agenda in the election, Principal Deputy Attorney General Aakash Singh advised U.S. attorneys and their top aides to consider resigning if they are not prepared to fight hard and obey the administration’s orders, three people briefed on the call said.
His message signaled that new Democratic leaders in Congress preparing to aggressively investigate the DOJ’s conduct will not deter Attorney General Todd Blanche from pursuing the same top-down agenda over the next two years that has curtailed the previous quasi-autonomy of U.S. attorneys and moved their focus closer to the president’s policy priorities.
Singh referenced the recent departures of other senior department officials — including Miami’s top prosecutor — before predicting that more U.S. attorneys will be expelled imminently, said the individuals, who spoke anonymously about internal deliberations. He did not specify which prosecutors he had in mind, but cautioned that some U.S. attorneys may want to talk to their families and leave voluntarily before it is no longer their choice.
Separately, Singh renewed previous directives for U.S. attorneys to focus their resources on fraud against taxpayer funds and violent crimes, the sources said. He said they need to prioritize cases that don’t fit into those categories and close investigations that have been open for two years or more. He also reiterated previous requests that each of the 93 offices designate two or three assistant U.S. attorneys who can quickly take on high-priority cases in other districts, they added.
“The reference to ‘wartime’ has everything to do with public safety. In several districts, newly elected state and local leaders are no longer interested in partnering with federal law enforcement to keep their communities safe,” Justice Department spokesperson Kiersten Pels said, referring to the wave of Democrats who will take office after election victories.
“U.S. Attorneys have been reminded to be prepared to protect their communities from those who violate federal law,” Pels added.
Recent resignations
The meeting was particularly colorful compared to Singh’s previous regular virtual meetings with the 93 chief prosecutors who have been on the front lines of carrying out the Trump administration’s law enforcement overhaul, several people said.
Singh had previously advised leaders of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to consider whether to stand or resign in early 2026, but the rhetoric took on new meaning this week following the resignations of a series of four Senate-confirmed DOJ officials last week, some of whom were involuntary.
The resignation last week of Trump-aligned U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones in South Florida was notable given that his district oversaw an investigation into a stalled “grand conspiracy” against Trump’s adversaries and reportedly frustrated Justice Department leaders with its failure to make progress. Blanche and Singh have clashed with other chief prosecutors across the country who could be next to resign, senior officials said.
It’s unclear who the administration plans to replace the purged U.S. attorneys, especially as Trump appointees to the Justice Department are looking for new jobs after the electorate rejected the administration’s agenda last week.
Prior to his recent promotion to a critical operational role at DOJ, Singh was a top aide to Blanche, overseeing all U.S. attorneys’ offices. He was known as the Justice Department’s most brash henchman in cracking down on the autonomy of U.S. attorneys, once telling chief prosecutors that President Donald Trump was their “primary client.”
Singh’s latest message to prosecutors comes as DOJ leaders in Washington will defend the department — and the entire executive branch — against a wave of Democratic-led investigations and subpoenas in January.
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