Former U.S. Attorney Joe diGenova resigned Thursday from the Justice Department five months after being brought in to help oversee a wide-ranging Florida investigation into former intelligence and law enforcement officials involved in investigations of President Donald Trump.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
Joe diGenova abruptly resigned Thursday from his Justice Department position overseeing a broad investigation into former intelligence and law enforcement officials who scrutinized President Donald Trump, leaving the future leadership of the Florida-based inquiry uncertain after five months on the job.
“I did in fact resign,” diGenova told The Associated Press, calling it an “honor and a privilege” to serve Trump and the Justice Department. DiGenova declined to explain why he was leaving, and the Justice Department did not immediately provide a public explanation.
DiGenova, 81, served as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia during the Reagan administration and returned to the Justice Department in April to help lead what officials and news organizations have described as the “grand conspiracy” investigation. The inquiry, based largely in the Southern District of Florida, is examining whether former government officials improperly coordinated investigations involving Trump beginning with scrutiny of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
His departure came as the investigation had recently intensified, with federal prosecutors issuing new grand jury subpoenas seeking testimony from former government officials. No criminal prosecutions have resulted from the broader conspiracy investigation to date.
ABC News reported that diGenova submitted his resignation to Attorney General Todd Blanche amid what unnamed sources described as growing frustration from Trump and senior Justice Department officials over the pace and direction of his work.
“A Trump loyalist who had been tapped to oversee a sprawling and controversial DOJ conspiracy investigation targeting political foes of President Donald Trump abruptly resigned Thursday, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News,” the outlet reported.
“Joe diGenova submitted his resignation to Attorney General Todd Blanche amid what sources described as growing frustrations from Trump and senior DOJ officials regarding his work on the so-called ‘grand conspiracy’ investigation based out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida.
“Sources said diGenova had pitched himself to the president as someone who could potentially ramp up the conspiracy investigation, which thus far has resulted in no criminal prosecutions despite dozens of subpoenas issued over the past year to various officials involved in past investigations of Trump.”
ABC said diGenova did not immediately respond to its request for comment and that a Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment. His separate confirmation to the AP established that he had resigned but left the reasons for the decision unresolved.
DiGenova had been brought into the investigation after a previous shake-up involving career federal prosecutor Maria Medetis Long, who had been helping lead a criminal investigation of former CIA Director John Brennan. Long was removed from the case in April after expressing concerns about the legal strength of a potential prosecution, according to reports at the time. The Justice Department described such personnel changes as routine and said attorneys are reassigned so offices can allocate resources effectively.
Brennan has been among the former officials scrutinized in the investigation. Recent reporting identified him as a potential target of the Florida grand jury inquiry, which is examining actions surrounding government investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and Trump’s campaign. Brennan has denied wrongdoing and has characterized the investigation as politically motivated.
The broader inquiry has also examined other government actions involving Trump, including aspects of the FBI’s 2022 search of his Mar-a-Lago property. DiGenova’s team had sought interviews with law enforcement officials involved in that search as the scope of the investigation expanded.
DiGenova has long been an ally of Trump. He and his wife, attorney Victoria Toensing, assisted Trump’s legal efforts following the 2020 presidential election. The couple also represented Ukrainian businessman Dmitry Firtash, who faced U.S. bribery and racketeering allegations, and worked with Rudy Giuliani during efforts to obtain information concerning Joe and Hunter Biden’s activities involving Ukraine.
The investigation diGenova was overseeing traces in part to longstanding disputes over the federal government’s examination of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Previous investigations established that Russia interfered in the election, while Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation did not establish a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. The current Justice Department inquiry is examining whether officials involved in investigations of Trump themselves engaged in unlawful conduct.
DiGenova’s resignation now creates another leadership change in an investigation that had appeared to be accelerating only days earlier.
Neither diGenova nor the Justice Department had publicly explained as of Thursday why he stepped down or who would take over his responsibilities.
For now, diGenova has confirmed only his departure, telling the AP that serving in the administration was an “honor and a privilege,” while declining to discuss the circumstances that brought his five-month return to the Justice Department to an abrupt end.
Original article
Comments