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Trump Admin’s Prisons Boss Will Finally Quit After Crises-Plagued Tenure

Nearly one in three federal inmates tested positive for COVID under Michael Carvajal’s watch and an AP investigation found the agency was rife with abuse and corruption.

Michael Carvajal, the director of the federal Bureau of Prisons, will resign after a nearly two-year tenure marred by the uncovering of widespread problems at the agency. Nearly one in three federal inmates tested positive for COVID under Carvajal’s watch and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) called for his firing when an Associated Press investigation revealed the agency was a “hotbed of abuse, graft and corruption [that] has turned a blind eye to employees accused of misconduct.” A holdover from the Trump administration who was tapped by then Attorney General William Barr for the job in 2020, Carvajal has been with the Justice Department for 30 years. “His operational experience and intimate knowledge of the Bureau of Prisons... helped steer it during critical times,” a Justice Department spokesperson said. Carvajal will remain at his post until a new director can be appointed.