Trump fires US federal prosecutors involved in probes of his behaviour

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The administration of United States President Donald Trump has fired more than a dozen prosecutors linked to the investigation and prosecution of the Republican leader while he was out of office.

Monday’s terminations were effective immediately and applied to employees in the Department of Justice, according to anonymous sources within Trump’s government.

An official told the Reuters news agency that acting Attorney General James McHenry, a Trump appointee, had determined that the prosecutors “could not be trusted to faithfully implement the President’s agenda because of their significant role in prosecuting the President”.

The move underscored Trump’s threats to seek retribution against those who scrutinised his behaviour — and it marked a break with longstanding norms that career government employees should not be punished for carrying out tasks under a preceding administration.

Trump took office on January 20 for a second term as president, after serving previously from 2017 to 2021.