The Justice Department has fired the veteran federal prosecutor in Miami in charge of the investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan, who is a vocal Trump critic, for failing to heed calls to speed up the indictment process, according to multiple sources.
Maria Medetis Long, Chief of the National Security Section for the Southern District of Florida, informed attorneys on Friday, April 17.
She announced that she was no longer in charge of the politically sensitive investigation. For months, she had overseen the investigation amid escalating calls from Trump to prosecute Brennan and other suspected opponents.
The ouster comes on the heels of the dismissal of former Attorney General Pam Bondi after complaints about the sluggishness of cases the president wants to pursue.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, intent on retaining his role as permanent attorney general, is working extra hard to accommodate the president’s needs.
In an effort to defend their case, career prosecutors have refused to be rushed to charge anyone in light of their reservations about the strength of the case against Mr. Brennan.
Sources reveal that Miami U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones told DOJ officials that charges could take months to file.
But the Justice Department defended the decision, arguing that the reassignment of lawyers is “completely healthy and normal.”
