Pam Bondi ousts ethics watchdog amid DOJ purge

Context: On Monday, former director Joseph Tirrell confirmed on LinkedIn that he had been fired from the position without being given a reason for his removal.

• Tirrell has worked for the DOJ for 16 years, and became director of the departmental ethics office in July of 2023, according to his official staff profile.
• In the LinkedIn post, Tirrell said he was responsible for "ensuring that the 117,000 Department employees were properly advised on and supported in how to follow the Federal employee ethics rules."
• The Department of Justice declined to comment on why Tirrell was dismissed.

The intrigue: Tirrell advised Special Counsel Jack Smith on ethical considerations during his criminal prosecutions of President Trump, according to Bloomberg Law.

• That included approving approximately $140,000 in pro bono legal assistance from Covington & Burling law firm, which Smith disclosed after conducting his investigation into the president.

Zoom out: The staffers ousted on Friday were identified during an internal investigation carried out by the "Weaponization Working Group," which Bondi established to review "unethical prosecutions" amongst other things in February.

• The group's director, Ed Martin, was dropped as Trump's pick for U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia in May, as it became clear his previous inflammatory comments regarding Jan. 6 were complicating his ability to be confirmed to the post by the Senate.
• Martin was later appointed as U.S. Pardon Attorney and the group's director in May, according to his staff profile.