Two Senior US Justice Department Officials Resign

By Staff, Agencies

Two senior officials at the US Department of Justice (DOJ), including the head of its National Security Division, resigned on Friday, adding to a series of high-level departures from the department following Democrats’ victory in this week’s midterm elections.

John Eisenberg, the assistant attorney general overseeing the National Security Division, submitted his resignation, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to POLITICO on condition of anonymity. The division handles terrorism prosecutions, espionage cases and investigations into leaks of classified information.

Under Eisenberg’s leadership, the division was involved in the prosecution of former National Security Advisor John Bolton over his retention of classified documents from his time in the first Trump administration.

Eisenberg previously served as the National Security Council’s top lawyer during Trump’s first presidency. He became a central figure in the White House’s handling of Trump’s telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, although he maintained a relatively low public profile within the administration.

Jason Reding Quiñones, the US attorney for the Southern District of Florida, is also leaving the department. During the first two years of Trump’s second term, he was involved in several high-profile prosecutions, including a case against former Cuban President Raúl Castro.

Quiñones also oversaw an investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan and other federal officials involved in examining Trump’s political activities, including alleged links between his 2016 presidential campaign and Russia and efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

A Miami native whose father was a Cuban political refugee, Quiñones was the first US attorney confirmed during Trump’s second term. His district has played a role in the administration’s cases involving Latin America and immigration.

Attorney General Todd Blanche praised Quiñones following the announcement of his departure, citing his work against violent crime, drug trafficking, sex trafficking and transnational crime. Blanche also noted that Quiñones had served the department on multiple occasions during his career.

The resignations follow the departure of Harmeet Dhillon, who led the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division until Thursday. Dhillon oversaw a major restructuring of the division and became a prominent figure in the administration’s efforts to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.