Two Top Justice Department Officials Resign as Post-Election Departures Grow
Two senior U.S. Justice Department officials resigned Friday, adding to a wave of departures following the midterm elections, according to the Associated Press and Reuters.
John Eisenberg, who led the department’s National Security Division, and Jason Reding Quiñones, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, both left their posts on Nov. 6. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the resignations. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who headed the Civil Rights Division, had announced her departure a day earlier.
Different roles, separate departures
Eisenberg’s division oversees national security cases involving areas including espionage, terrorism and cybercrime. Quiñones’ office has handled several high-profile matters, including a federal investigation into alleged efforts by former officials to undermine President Donald Trump. The Associated Press reported that the probe has faced delays and staff turnover, and that people familiar with the matter cited frustration in Washington with Quiñones’ management. The department has not publicly said that the investigation caused his resignation.
Blanche praised Quiñones’ work on violent crime, drug and sex trafficking, and transnational crime. In a statement about Eisenberg, he said the official had strengthened the country’s ability to address threats. Neither announcement named a successor.
Post-election shake-up
The resignations came three days after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the Nov. 3 midterms. Reuters described the two officials’ departures as part of a broader post-election exodus of senior Justice Department figures. The timing links the announcements to a period of personnel change, but the officials’ public statements did not attribute their decisions to a single cause.
Sources
Reuters: Two top Justice Department officials resign as post-election exodus accelerates
