Three Justice Department officials, including man behind Trump’s ‘grand conspiracy’ probe, resign since brutal midterm losses

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez, CNN

(CNN) — Three high-profile officials have resigned from the Justice Department in the days since the midterms, including Jason Reding Quiñones, the senior federal prosecutor who led a sprawling investigation into President Donald Trump’s political foes.

Quiñones resigned from his position as the US Attorney in Southern Florida under pressure from department leadership, despite his willingness to pursue some of the most controversial investigations desired by the president, according to sources familiar with the matter.

John Eisenberg, who led the department’s National Security Division, also announced his resignation Friday, and Harmeet Dhillon left her post as the head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division on Thursday.

The turnover at the Justice Department had been expected for weeks for a variety of reasons. With the anticipated midterm outcome, some officials are expected to return to lucrative law firm jobs while the second Trump administration still has two years remaining in office.

With Democrats now poised to have oversight control and launch investigations, some top Justice Department officials believe the firebrands inside the Justice Department could be more of a liability.

Blanche has sought to try to restore control over the department, with some officials like Quiñones and Dhillon viewed as causing problems by making high-profile promises that they couldn’t deliver on. Democrats aren’t likely to lose interest in investigating the actions of Dhillon and Quiñones despite their departure.

The resignations could be a challenge for the administration, which is expected to have trouble confirming new officials with a Democratic Senate. But the president could install acting leaders to do the job for the rest of his term.

The man behind a sprawling ‘grand conspiracy probe

Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Quiñones departure in a social media post Friday, saying that the department is “grateful for Jason’s leadership.”

Quiñones being pushed out in Miami deals what may be the final blow to the Justice Department’s ongoing effort prosecute a wide swath of Trump’s perceived political enemies as part of a so-called “grand conspiracy.”

During his year-long tenure, Quiñones’ office won one of the most consequential criminal indictments brought by the Trump Justice Department: The indictment against former Cuban President Raúl Castro.

But other antics left him on the outs with department leadership. Quiñones was behind the effort to use a grand jury in Fort Pierce, Florida, to pursue investigations of former government officials who were involved in probes of Trump and his campaign from 2016 to 2024.

He promised that his office could bring the case within months against former government officials who were involved in probes of Trump and his campaign from 2016 to 2024, top Justice officials blamed him when those plans failed to materialize.

And Quiñones frequently traveled outside his district, often to Washington, DC, which only reminded top DOJ officials of his failure to produce a big case he had promised.

In the Miami US Attorney’s Office on Friday, Blanche’s announcement came as a shock. Many were in the dark about Quiñones seeming rapid fall from grace, according to people familiar with matter.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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