DOJ 'Wartime Footing' Order: US Attorneys Told to Get on Board or Quit

A top Justice Department official has told the nation's US attorneys to get on a "wartime footing" or consider quitting, in the bluntest warning to the department's prosecutors since the midterm elections. Aakash Singh, the department's principal associate deputy attorney general, delivered the message on Monday, November 9, 2026, at the first meeting of its field-office leaders since voters handed control of Congress to the Democrats.

Bloomberg Law, citing three people briefed on the call, reported Singh told the US attorneys and their first assistants that more of them will be pushed out soon and anyone not ready for "full-on battle" should consider resigning. MS NOW separately reported Singh described the department as on a "wartime footing" for the final two years of President Donald Trump's term. A department spokesperson later said the "wartime" language referred to public safety.

Key Points

• Aakash Singh, the Justice Department's principal associate deputy attorney general, told US attorneys on November 9 that more will be pushed out soon and to consider resigning if they are not ready for "full-on battle".
• Singh described the department as on a "wartime footing" for the last two years of Trump's term, according to reports of the call.
• He restated the department's priorities, fraud against taxpayer funds and violent crime, and told offices to close investigations open for two years or longer.
• Each of the 93 offices was asked to name two or three assistant US attorneys who can move quickly to high-priority cases in other districts.
• Four Senate-confirmed Justice Department officials have resigned since the November 3 midterms, most recently Civil Division chief Brett Shumate on November 9.

What Happened

The meeting was the first gathering of the department's field-office leaders since the November 3 midterm elections, and Singh used it to set the terms for the rest of the administration: the department expects total alignment with its orders, and those unwilling to fight on those terms should leave.

Singh paired the warning with practical orders: close investigations open for two years or longer, and have each office identify two or three assistant US attorneys who can be moved quickly to high-priority cases in other districts. The request creates a rapid-response pool, drawn from every district, that headquarters can deploy wherever it decides a case matters most.

The call came as the department braces for January, when Democrats take Congress and are expected to launch a wave of subpoenas and oversight, above all of immigration agencies. Singh's message: be ready for that fight now, not when the new Congress is seated.

Background: The Post-Midterm Exodus

The warning landed amid a wave of exits at the top of the department. Four Senate-confirmed officials have resigned since the midterms: Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Civil Rights Division, on Thursday, November 5; Jason Reding Quinones, the US attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and John Eisenberg, head of the National Security Division, on Friday, November 6; and Brett Shumate, head of the Civil Division, on Monday, November 9. US News Pulse reported on Harmeet Dhillon's resignation as Civil Rights chief and on Brett Shumate becoming the fourth senior official to quit.

The departures have stripped the department of senior leadership across civil rights, national security and civil litigation in a single week, just as it prepares for a hostile Congress. Democrats have already begun hiring fired Justice Department prosecutors to staff their coming investigations, as US News Pulse reported on Democrats hiring fired DOJ prosecutors to staff Trump investigations.

Singh also repeated the department's priorities: fraud against taxpayer funds and violent crime.

DOJ Wartime Footing: What the Order Means for the 93 Offices

The phrase "wartime footing" drew the most attention, and the department moved quickly to soften it. Spokesperson Kiersten Pels said the "wartime" reference was about public safety, a description of the department's mission rather than a declaration of conflict with anyone. The clarification did not dispute that Singh used the phrase.

In practice, the order reshapes how the 93 offices work. Naming two or three mobile prosecutors in each creates a pool of roughly 200 to 280 assistant US attorneys who can be sent to high-priority cases anywhere, while closing investigations open for two years or longer clears dockets for that work. Together, the two orders give headquarters far more direct control over where prosecutors spend their time.

With the final two years of Trump's term ahead and Democrats about to take the gavels in Congress, Singh's warning tells prosecutors the administration expects loyalty and speed, and is prepared to replace those who will not deliver them.

Reactions and Quotes

The sharpest language came from Singh himself, as Bloomberg Law reported from three people briefed on the call: prosecutors not ready for "full-on battle" should consider resigning, and more US attorneys will be pushed out soon. MS NOW's separate account added the "wartime footing" description of the department's posture for the final two years of Trump's term.

The department's public response was Pels's clarification that the "wartime" reference was about public safety. Neither account has been disputed; the remarks were reported from people briefed on the meeting, not from a public transcript.

Why It Matters

US attorneys are the Justice Department's front line, running federal prosecutions in 93 districts. A warning to get on board or quit, delivered to all of them at once, is a direct attempt to reshape who brings those cases and how they are chosen. The rapid-response pool and the order to close older cases extend that control from personnel to the docket itself.

The stakes rise in January, when a Democratic Congress is expected to subpoena department officials and scrutinise immigration enforcement — with a leadership bench thinned by four resignations and prosecutors told to expect more departures.

What Happens Next

More exits are expected: Singh said more US attorneys will be pushed out soon. The 93 offices must now name their mobile prosecutors, and older investigations face closure. Whether the warning produces resignations or compliance will become clear in the coming weeks, as will the department's posture when the new Congress begins oversight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Aakash Singh?

The Justice Department's principal associate deputy attorney general.

What did Singh tell the US attorneys?

That more will be pushed out soon, and anyone not ready for "full-on battle" should consider resigning, per Bloomberg Law, citing three people briefed on the call.

What does "wartime footing" mean here?

MS NOW reported Singh used it for the department's posture in Trump's final two years; spokesperson Kiersten Pels said it was about public safety.

Which Justice Department officials have resigned since the midterms?

Harmeet Dhillon (Civil Rights, November 5), Jason Reding Quinones (Southern District of Florida, November 6), John Eisenberg (National Security, November 6) and Brett Shumate (Civil Division, November 9).

Why does the department expect more pressure in January?

Democrats take Congress in January, and the department expects a wave of subpoenas and oversight of immigration agencies.