Three senior Justice Department officials depart after midterms
Resignations follow midterm elections as Democrats gain oversight power and leadership seeks to consolidate control.
By Luca Harrison ·
Three senior leaders at the U.S. Department of Justice have resigned in the days following the midterm elections. The departures include Jason Reding Quiñones, the U.S. Attorney for Southern Florida, Harmeet Dhillon, who headed the Civil Rights Division, and John Eisenberg, the former head of the National Security Division.
Quiñones, Dhillon, and Eisenberg have left their posts under pressure from department leadership. Quiñones resigned on Friday, Dhillon stepped down on Thursday, and Eisenberg announced his departure on Friday. Sources familiar with the matter state that Quiñones left despite his earlier willingness to pursue investigations favored by President Donald Trump. The timing coincides with the anticipated shift in congressional power.
Leadership within the Justice Department sought to restore control following the elections. Officials viewed Quiñones and Dhillon as sources of friction because they made high-profile promises that were not fulfilled. With Democrats poised to assume oversight roles, some officials feared that prominent internal figures could become liabilities during new investigations. The administration faces the challenge of replacing these leaders while the president has two years remaining in office.
Quiñones led a major investigation into perceived political enemies of the president, often referred to as the grand conspiracy probe. His office secured an indictment against former Cuban President Raúl Castro, a consequential legal action. However, his strategy to use a grand jury in Fort Pierce, Florida, to investigate former officials from the 2016 to 2024 probes did not yield the promised results. Top Justice officials blamed him when those specific plans failed to materialize.
Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Quiñones' departure in a social media post on Friday. Blanche stated that the department is grateful for the attorney's leadership. Staff at the Miami U.S. Attorney's Office were surprised by the announcement, as many were unaware of the rapid shift in Quiñones' standing until the news broke publicly.
The administration may struggle to confirm new permanent officials with a Democratic Senate. The president could install acting leaders to manage the divisions for the remainder of the term. Democrats are expected to continue investigating the actions of Dhillon and Quiñones despite their departures from the department.
