One recently fired veteran federal prosecutor issued a direct warning to his colleagues about President Donald Trump before leaving his office.
Politico reported Friday that Michael Ben'Ary — who was one of the top national security prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) — issued his parting shot at the Trump administration in a letter taped to his office door. Ben'Ary lamented that the Trump Department of Justice was "more concerned with punishing the President’s perceived enemies than they are with protecting our national security."
"Justice for Americans killed and injured by our enemies should not be contingent on what someone in the Department of Justice sees in their social media feed that day," he wrote.
Ben'Ary's firing came despite him being the lead prosecutor in the case of Mohammad Sharifullah, who has been charged with planning the bombing attack that killed 13 U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2021. Sharifullah's trial date had been set for early December, though Ben'Ary's firing may delay it further.
Michael Ben'Ary was also notably targeted by conservative writer Julie Kelly, who pointed out that he was part of a "resistance" in EDVA against prosecuting former FBI Director James Comey. He was also singled out for his previous work with Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco (who Trump has attacked on numerous occasions).
The two-page Comey indictment was notably not signed by any other career DOJ prosecutors within EDVA, and interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan had no help within the office in trying to persuade a grand jury to charge Comey with two felonies (the grand jury refused to indict on a third count). Conservative attorney George Conway argued earlier this week that because Halligan is only an interim attorney who hasn't been previously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, her indictment of Comey is "invalid."
The Trump DOJ fired Ben'Ary not long after firing Maya Song, who was EDVA's top deputy and another former aide to Monaco. According to Politico, EDVA is "one of the most prominent hubs for national security cases in the country," and the firings of Song and Ben'Ary have left the office in a state of "turmoil."
Click here to read Politico's full report.