ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST

Top DOJ Official Jumps Ship in Growing Trump Exodus

The resignation comes after three other Justice Department officials fled last week following the GOP’s midterm rout.

Another Trump administration official has resigned following the Republicans’ midterm election bloodbath, adding to the growing exodus of people fleeing as the president enters lame duck status.

Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Monday that he had accepted the resignation of Brett Shumate, who headed the department’s Civil Division, following in the footsteps of three other Justice Department officials who have departed since Tuesday’s election rout.

Shumate only took up the post in June 2025 and was a key legal operator in the administration’s efforts to advance its conservative agenda through the courts.

His departure comes days after the White House also faced a major shake-up, with Trump announcing the exit of chief of staff Susie Wiles, in favor of his controversial top aide Stephen Miller.

It also comes as Democrats prepare to take control of the House and Senate, paving the way for countless investigations into Trump, his orbit, and some of the officials pushing his agenda.

“Today I accepted the resignation of Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Civil Division,” Blanche wrote on X.

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“Under his leadership, the Division pursued important affirmative litigation to challenge sanctuary policies and delivered key wins in lawsuits against local policies that endangered federal law enforcement,” he said.

“The Division also secured historic settlements to end illegal corporate DEI practices and shuttered dozens of clinics which were providing so-called “gender affirming care” to minors. We are grateful for Brett’s service at DOJ and wish him continued success.”

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Shumate is the latest DOJ official to head for the exit since the election, days after Civil Rights Division chief Harmeet Dhillon announced her resignation last Thursday, followed on Friday by National Security Division head John Eisenberg.

Jason Reding Quiñones, the U.S. attorney overseeing the controversial investigation into alleged efforts by Obama-and Biden-era officials to undermine Trump, has also left.

Meanwhile, Blanche, who is Trump’s former personal lawyer, also faces growing questions about his independence from the president.

In a combative CNN interview Sunday, he defended Trump’s latest calls for investigations into Democrats preparing congressional oversight.

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“He (Trump) said that the Democratic lawmakers are extortionists and they should be imprisoned. Is that a possibility?” host Dana Bash asked Blanche.

“Well, it depends on what the crime is and what they’ve done,” Blanche replied, before pivoting to what he said had prompted Trump’s remarks.

“You have members of Congress who, after Tuesday, have done nothing but threaten everything that’s happening in this administration. That is not governing, that is not leading, that is not oversight.”

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But Democrats have made no secret of their desire to hold the administration to account - particularly over corruption and cost of living pressures, which they believe are inextricably linked.

“The Iran war has cost us billions and billions of dollars. The tariffs have cost us billions and billions of dollars. And all of them, I would argue, are rooted, if not entirely, then at least substantially, in corruption,” said Jamie Raskin, who is poised to become chair of the powerful House Judiciary Committee.

Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin agreed. Speaking at the Crooked Con political conference in Washington on Saturday, she said the top priority would be to pass legislation to improve the lives of Americans, starting with issues like healthcare.

But as a “number two” priority, she said, “we need to have accountability for violations of the law and abuses of taxpayer dollars.”

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Farrah TomazinPolitical Correspondent

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