Fired US prosecutor sues Justice Department over Trump criticism claims

A former U.S. federal prosecutor, Will Rosensweig, has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice, seeking financial damages and reinstatement after his dismissal. Rosensweig was terminated from the Miami federal prosecutor's office less than three hours after a right-wing influencer, Natalie Winters, publicly accused him of criticizing then-President Donald Trump on a personal blog.

Winters, who has a significant social media following, alleged that Rosensweig had posted anti-Trump remarks and was handling cases involving individuals associated with the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement. She directly urged a high-ranking Justice Department official via social media to dismiss Rosensweig. Shortly after, Pam Bondi, then acting Attorney General, signed the termination letter, though the stated reason for dismissal was not specified.

However, an investigation by The New York Times indicates that Winters' accusations were largely unsubstantiated. The defendants in the cases Rosensweig handled were reportedly charged with simple fraud, with no direct connection to President Trump. Furthermore, Rosensweig's blog had not been updated for approximately seven years prior to his dismissal, predating his public service career.

The New York Times also noted a pattern of dismissals of prosecutors and federal agents without clear cause since the beginning of Donald Trump's second administration. Many of those dismissed had been involved in cases related to the January 6th Capitol riot, while others lost their positions for attempting to protect their subordinates from dismissal.