Democrats Are Hiring Fired DOJ Prosecutors to Staff Trump Investigations

Congressional Democrats are already hiring the Justice Department prosecutors the Trump administration fired, building the investigative teams that will run the wave of inquiries into the administration when they take control of Congress in January. The hiring drive, reported by the Washington Post on Sunday, draws on former career prosecutors fired or pushed out since the start of President Donald Trump's second term — people who know the department from the inside.

Key Points

• Congressional Democrats are hiring former career Justice Department prosecutors who were fired or departed since the start of Trump's second term, to staff the committees they lead from January, the Washington Post reported on Sunday, November 8, 2026.
• The Justice Department enters the next two years hollowed out by mass firings and an exodus of career staff, after two years of little oversight from Republican congressional leaders.
• Three senior DOJ officials left after the November 3 midterms: Civil Rights Division chief Harmeet Dhillon resigned Thursday, November 5, and national security chief John Eisenberg and US Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones resigned Friday, November 6.
• Patrick Davis, head of Legislative Affairs, resigned in October; Yara Klukas, previously first assistant under Quiñones, is set to become acting US attorney for the Southern District of Florida.
• The White House announced Friday that Stephen Miller will replace Susie Wiles as chief of staff from Monday, November 9.

What Happened

The Washington Post reported on Sunday that congressional Democrats are already building the investigative staff of the committees they will lead from January, hiring from the large pool of former career prosecutors who were fired or departed from the Justice Department since the start of Trump's second term. The report, by Perry Stein and Jeremy Roebuck, says hiring is under way now, weeks before Democrats take control of both chambers after their November 3 midterm victories.

Democrats will chair the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the other investigative panels from January, and they have promised a wave of inquiries into the Trump administration — into Elon Musk, incoming chief of staff Stephen Miller, the Caribbean boat-strike campaign and the Justice Department itself. Staff who have worked inside the department, the thinking goes, will know where the records are and which questions to ask first.

Background and Context

The department they will be investigating has been reshaped by departures. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on X on Thursday, November 5, that he had accepted the resignation of Harmeet Dhillon, who had led the Civil Rights Division since April 2025, praising her for defending "the civil liberties of every American." The Washington Examiner had reported a day earlier that Dhillon planned to leave, citing two people familiar with the matter.

On Friday, November 6, two more senior officials left. John Eisenberg, the department's top national security official, resigned, and Jason Reding Quiñones, the US attorney for the Southern District of Florida, also resigned. Bloomberg Law reported that Blanche ordered Eisenberg out after clashes over White House demands for faster leak investigations, including subpoenas targeting New York Times reporters. A senior official disputed that account, saying Eisenberg's exit had nothing to do with the reporter subpoenas. Blanche's public announcement praised Eisenberg, saying: "He has served with distinction, strengthening our nation's ability to address threats, both foreign and domestic."

Quiñones had been tapped only months earlier to oversee the alleged "grand conspiracy" investigation into former Obama administration officials over the 2016 Russia claims. The Associated Press reported his resignation followed frustrations in Washington over his management. The investigation had already lost Joseph diGenova, who returned in April to lead it and resigned in September. Blanche said he was "grateful for Jason's leadership."

The shifts reached the White House the same Friday, when Trump announced Stephen Miller will replace Susie Wiles as chief of staff from Monday, November 9, with Wiles moving to Trump's political operation. The department had already lost Patrick Davis, head of the Office of Legislative Affairs, in October.

Fired DOJ Prosecutors: Why Democrats Want Them

For Democrats, the fired prosecutors offer something no outside hire can: first-hand knowledge of how the department has operated under Trump. The prosecutors who left were, in many cases, the career lawyers who handled the cases, ran the divisions and kept the institutional memory — and many left unwillingly, after being fired or pushed out. That makes them natural recruits — and natural witnesses — for the committees. Congressional investigations move slowly when staff must learn a subject from scratch; former prosecutors arrive knowing the department's structure, its files and its people, and Democrats are betting they can open hearings in January with questions the administration will find hard to dodge.

Reactions and Quotes

Bill Shipley, a former federal prosecutor, wrote on X: "Expect to see many many more resignations from all the Departments before the end of next week. This is to create an opportunity during the Lame Duck for the Senate to confirm replacements for the final 2 years."

But a source who worked in the Justice Department during Trump's second administration rejected the expectation of a confirmation push, telling the Washington Examiner: "The expectation is everyone is acting." Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor, said relying on temporary leadership fits the administration's handling of US attorney appointments. "They cannot abide going to the Senate," Tobias said.

Why It Matters

The hiring turns the department's own losses into the opposition's strength. For two years, the Justice Department operated with little oversight from Republican congressional leaders while its career ranks thinned. From January, the people who left it will sit on the other side of the witness table, drafting the questions and deciding what to subpoena — which is why the hiring, not just the departures, is the story. It also sets up a clash over the department's future: acting officials versus Senate-confirmed replacements in the lame-duck weeks.

What Happens Next

First, the hiring: Democrats will keep staffing up through December, and the names they choose will signal which investigations come first. Second, the lame duck: watch whether Republicans try to confirm replacements for Dhillon, Eisenberg and Quiñones before January, or leave the posts to acting officials. Third, January: the new chairs take their gavels, and the first hearings and subpoenas will test whether their inside knowledge becomes an oversight campaign the administration cannot easily deflect.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are Democrats hiring?

Former career Justice Department prosecutors who were fired or left the department since the start of Trump's second term, to staff the congressional committees Democrats will lead from January.

Which senior DOJ officials resigned after the midterms?

Civil Rights chief Harmeet Dhillon resigned Thursday, November 5; national security chief John Eisenberg and US Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones resigned Friday, November 6. Patrick Davis, head of Legislative Affairs, resigned in October.

Why did Eisenberg resign?

Bloomberg Law reported Blanche ordered him out after clashes over White House demands for faster leak investigations, including subpoenas targeting New York Times reporters. A senior official disputed that.

Who will run the Southern District of Florida now?

Yara Klukas, previously the first assistant US attorney under Quiñones, is set to become the acting US attorney, according to a source familiar with the matter.