History's Judgment of Those Who Go Along

"In March, Erez Reuveni, a veteran Justice Department lawyer, was promoted to the position of acting deputy director of the Office of Immigration Litigation. He decided to personally take on the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who had been wrongly sent back to El Salvador, in violation of a 2019 court order. On April 5th, Reuveni told his supervisor he would not sign an appeal brief that said Abrego Garcia was a "terrorist." According to a whistle-blower complaint that Reuveni later filed, he said, "I didn't sign up to lie." He was suspended and then fired."

"Other career prosecutors have chosen to step down. In February, when Trump officials moved to dismiss corruption charges against New York City's mayor, Eric Adams, it triggered resignations from Danielle R. Sassoon, the interim United States Attorney in Manhattan, and from Kevin O. Driscoll and John Keller, the two officials in charge of the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section. In September, Erik Siebert, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, resigned, after his investigations into Letitia James and James Comey stalled and Trump demanded that he be fired."

"There has been turnover in senior ranks of the military as well. In October, Admiral Alvin Holsey, the head of the U.S. Southern Command, abruptly announced that he would retire at the end of the year. Tensions had reportedly been mounting between Holsey and the Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, particularly over the admiral's concerns about the legality of drone strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean."

Career Justice Department lawyers and prosecutors have resisted directives they judged unlawful or dishonest, resulting in suspensions, firings, and resignations. Erez Reuveni, acting deputy director of the Office of Immigration Litigation, refused to sign an appeal labeling Kilmar Abrego Garcia a "terrorist," filed a whistle-blower complaint, and was suspended and later fired. Other prosecutors resigned after pressure to dismiss corruption charges against New York City’s mayor and after stalled investigations into Letitia James and James Comey. Senior military leadership experienced turnover as Admiral Alvin Holsey announced retirement amid disputes over the legality of proposed drone strikes.

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