Amid a wave of high-level departures from the Department of Justice, a senior political official on Monday warned U.S. attorneys across the country to either get on a “wartime footing” for President Donald Trump’s final two years or consider leaving, according to two people with knowledge of the meeting.

The push for a more aggressive pursuit of Trump’s priorities comes amid a major DOJ shake-up that threatens the ability of the nation’s already weakened law enforcement agency to efficiently perform its work.

In the few short days since Democrats swept the midterm elections, the department has announced the exits of three presidentially appointed assistant attorneys general who oversee national security, civil rights and noncriminal cases. Four other senior political appointees have departed.

Most of them headed for the doors to secure private-sector jobs, but some were pushed out for failing to deliver what the president or White House were seeking, according to five sources familiar with the departures. The sources were granted anonymity to discuss internal personnel discussions.

A DOJ spokesperson disputed that the departures have weakened the department, saying the vacancies would quickly be filled.

During a Monday conference call with U.S. attorneys, Aakash Singh, a top lieutenant to Attorney General Todd Blanche, said Democrats’ coming control of Congress in 2027 has put the department on a wartime footing. He added that top prosecutors who do not want to aggressively tackle the president’s priority cases and projects should probably consider resigning, the two people said.

Leah Foley, Trump’s U.S. attorney in Massachusetts, told MS NOW that Singh’s message was not to be distracted by Democratic investigations and continue pushing Trump’s priorities.

“I took it as a pep talk,” Foley said. She said Singh urged U.S. attorneys to consider the current warlike mode and “reflect as to whether this is still the job that you want.”

A DOJ spokesperson said the “wartime” reference “had everything to do with public safety. In several districts, newly elected state and local leaders are no longer interested in partnering with federal law enforcement to keep their communities safe.”

She added, “He never said anyone would be forced out. Rather, he said some have chosen to leave for different reasons, and we want people to be successful. If they wished to take a different path now, that is up to them to decide, and DOJ would be supportive.”

Two people familiar with the departures said the recent removal of Jason Reding Quiñones, the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Florida, was due to the president growing weary of his failure to bring charges in the “grand conspiracy” case he was leading, which has been a top priority for Trump.

That case targeted Obama administration officials, including former CIA Director John Brennan, for their investigation into Russian contacts with Trump’s first presidential campaign, the people said.

Another person disputed that the conspiracy case was Reding Quiñones’ undoing, and said he fell in trouble with administration leaders due to his frequent travel away from his office and a lack of instruction to his prosecutors.

Another official pushed out of his post was John Eisenberg, the assistant attorney general for the National Security Division. Some said Eisenberg drew Trump’s ire for not approving more subpoenas for reporters in leak probes; one government official disputed this and said he was removed because he lacked experience managing a large office.

Those exiting of their own accord include:

• Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division
• Brett Shumate, the assistant attorney general for the Civil Division
• Henry Whitaker, a top adviser to Attorney General Blanche
• Patrick Davis, the assistant attorney general for Congressional relations, who left late last month

A key factor contributing to the voluntary exodus is Trump’s political drubbing in the midterms and the recognition that Justice Department officials will be a central focus of oversight committees when Democrats take control of Congress in January.

“There is a certain intimidation level coming from Democrats and that is a factor,” one of Trump’s outside advisers told MS NOW. “There are a lot of true believers who went there to do the work and not deal with grueling preparation for oversight hearings.”

Another factor contributing to the exodus is the promotion of Stephen Miller to chief of staff, according to former administration officials. Since early 2025, Miller has played an outsize role in running the Justice Department in Trump’s second term. He often speaks directly with officials about how to prioritize work and execute on key agenda items.

“People at the department know what they are getting with Miller. He routinely berates people at the department on conference calls,” one former official said.

The DOJ spokesperson said speaking with the Justice Department is part of Miller’s official role and that if the “now chief of staff is not communicating with the executive branch, that would be concerning.”

Two former administration officials told MS NOW that Blanche could be blamed for at least some of the high-level departures. The officials say his management style and what one describes as “a culture of fear” are driving officials out.

“People don’t want to work in these conditions,” one of the former officials said.

The DOJ spokesperson disputed the characterization of Blanche, saying, “There has never been a more accessible and understanding attorney general.” She added, “If anonymous sources equate effectiveness to fear, then it is unfortunate for their future success.”

MS NOW previously reported that Dhillon had grown frustrated that she had not been promoted within the department and had notified the White House of her plans to resign before the midterm election.

According to multiple people familiar with her departure, she had clashed with both Blanche and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward and had lodged complaints to the White House about what was happening at the department.

“Thank you for your service,” Woodward posted on X, without elaborating further on Dhillon’s departure.

During her tenure as the associate attorney general for civil rights, Dhillon worked to dismantle several parts of the division that have been in practice for many years. The Justice Department worked to end several police reform agreements, filed more than two dozen lawsuits seeking state voter rolls and sued many elite universities over alleged discrimination and antisemitism while Dhillon was in the role.

Shumate, the departing assistant attorney general of the Civil Division, penned several significant court filings on cases important to Trump’s agenda during his tenure. He was one of the attorneys representing the administration when defending Trump’s sweeping tariffs, and his name has been frequently seen on significant filings related to cases related to mass firings in the Justice Department and immigration efforts. Sources confirmed he had been looking to leave before the election.

Eisenberg kept a much lower profile compared to some of his colleagues during his time at the Justice Department but was still involved in many cases that were important to the administration’s agenda.

He oversaw the case of Aurelio Perez-Lugones, who was being investigated and eventually was charged in relation to leaking classified information to Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson.

Eisenberg also oversaw the prosecution of former national security adviser John Bolton over his illegal retention of classified documents. Bolton pleaded guilty in the case in June.

Reding Quiñones had worked on the department’s case for former Cuban President Raúl Castro and was present alongside Blanche when the charges against Castro were announced. But his failure to bring charges in the grand conspiracy case drew unflattering complaints among Trump’s MAGA supporters.

“I am grateful to President Trump for his trust and to the extraordinary men and women of the great Southern District of Florida for their dedication, friendship, and unwavering commitment to justice and the rule of law,” Reding Quiñones wrote in a post on X.

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From MS Now.