Top DOJ Officials Resign, Including National Security Head and Lead of ‘Grand Conspiracy’ Probe

Three Justice Department Officials Resign as Post-Election Exodus Accelerates

Jason Reding Quiñones, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, stepped down Friday under pressure from department leadership, CNN reported. John Eisenberg, who headed National Security Division, also announced his resignation Friday, Politico reported, and Harmeet Dhillon left her post as head of the Civil Rights Division on Thursday. The Washington Post reported that the departures mark an acceleration of turnover at the department in the wake of the midterms. In the Miami U.S. Attorney’s Office, Blanche’s announcement came as a shock, with many in the dark about Quiñones’ rapid fall from grace.

Quiñones Led the “Grand Conspiracy” Probe of Trump’s Foes

Quiñones had overseen what the department called a “grand conspiracy” investigation seeking to charge federal law enforcement officials involved in prior probes of Trump, an effort NBC News described as tying actions from the 2016 campaign to the more recent Jack Smith investigation. No charges had been brought directly in connection with that effort, NBC News reported. During his tenure, Quiñones’ office won an indictment against former Cuban President Raúl Castro, but top Justice officials blamed him when promised cases against former officials failed to materialize, CNN reported. Quiñones used a grand jury in Fort Pierce, Florida, to pursue officials involved in Trump probes from 2016 to 2024, seeking to charge conduct from over 10 years ago as part of a broader conspiracy against Trump’s rights, including the now-dismissed Jack Smith charges over the 2020 election and classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, which Trump denied.

Stacey Young, a former Justice Department lawyer who heads the group Justice Connection, told NBC News that Quiñones “will forever be known as this president’s Don Quixote for tilting at the windmill of the so-called grand conspiracy.” Joe diGenova, who worked under Quiñones in the Southern District of Florida, resigned in September, blaming DOJ headquarters for taking over the investigation. “Everybody was in their lane, and then some lanes got crossed, and then I decided to leave,” diGenova told NBC News.

Eisenberg Forced Out Over Media Leak Clashes, Bloomberg Law Reports

Blanche’s team pressured Eisenberg to approve subpoenaing reporters to divulge sources — including New York Times reporters who wrote about security problems with the president’s Qatari-donated jet — but the department withdrew those subpoenas in July after a federal judge rebuked the approach, Bloomberg Law reported. Senior administration officials also cited Eisenberg’s lack of experience managing a large team and noted he was never viewed as a Trump loyalist. Eisenberg, a former clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, oversaw terrorism, leak and espionage prosecutions, including the case against former national security adviser John Bolton. He was the National Security Council’s top lawyer during Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and is known as a quiet presence in the administration. Many National Security Division attorneys have departed, frustrated by being forced to review Jeffrey Epstein documents last year. Blanche praised Eisenberg on X Friday for “strengthening our nation’s ability to address threats, both foreign and domestic.”

What Remains Open

Democrats are not expected to drop investigations into the actions of Dhillon and Quiñones despite their departures, CNN reported. Federal prosecutors are also seeking a case against former FBI Director James Comey over an October 2016 leak to a New York Times reporter, while a separate Instagram seashell case against him remains pending in the Eastern District of North Carolina. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment, Politico and Bloomberg Law reported.

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