The US Justice Department on Monday fired officials who were involved in the criminal prosecutions of President Donald Trump.
A Justice Department official said acting attorney general James McHenry had made the decision because he did not believe these officials could be trusted to "faithfully implement the President's agenda because of their significant role in prosecuting the President."
The official did not specify now many people had their employment terminated, but US media outlets said it was more than a dozen and several were career prosecutors with the Justice Department. Special Counsel Jack Smith, who brought two federal cases against Mr Trump, resigned this month.
The firings come as Mr Trump seeks to reshape the federal government so that only loyalists have top positions. Late on Friday, he broke the law by firing of at least a dozen inspectors general, who are responsible for providing independent oversight of government agencies, without the legally required 30 days’ congressional notification.
Mr Smith charged Mr Trump with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election and mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House. Neither case came to trial and Mr Smith – in line with a long-standing Justice Department policy of not prosecuting a sitting president – dropped them both after the Republican won November's presidential election.
The firing of the Justice Department officials involved in prosecuting Mr Trump was not unexpected. He had vowed before the election to fire Mr Smith “on day one” and accused the Justice Department under Democratic president Joe Biden of conducting a “political witch hunt” against him. In his inauguration speech, Mr Trump said he would end the “vicious, violent, and unfair weaponisation of the Justice Department and our government.”
In his final report, Mr Smith said Mr Trump would have been convicted for his “criminal efforts” to retain power after the 2020 election if the case had not been dropped.
Mr Trump was charged with conspiracy to defraud the US and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding – the session of Congress held to certify Mr Biden's win, which was violently attacked on January 6, 2021, by a mob of Trump supporters.
Mr Smith also prepared a report into Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents but it is being withheld because charges are pending against two of his former co-defendants.
Mr Trump faces separate racketeering charges in Georgia over his efforts to subvert the election results in the southern state, but the case will probably be frozen while he is in office. The President was convicted in New York in May of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to an adult film star. The judge who presided over the case gave him an “unconditional discharge”, which carries no jail time, fine or probation.
SERIES SCHEDULE
First Test, Galle International Stadium
July 26-30
Second Test, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
August 3-7
Third Test, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 12-16
First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
August 20
Second ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 24
Third ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 27
Fourth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
August 31
Fifth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
September 3
T20, R Premadasa Stadium
September 6
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More coverage from the Future Forum
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
WITHIN%20SAND
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The Uefa Awards winners
Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
