US Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired the Justice Department’s top ethics adviser, Joseph Tirrell, in the latest move in a series of dismissals as Donald Trump and his allies seek retribution against civil servants in the agency. Tirrell, who had served as head of the department’s ethics office since 2023, announced his dismissal in a LinkedIn post, sharing Bondi’s letter which misspelled his name and provided no reason for his termination.
Tirrell was responsible for reviewing financial disclosures and other matters related to Bondi and other senior officials, overseeing a team of around 30 people ensuring ethical guidelines were followed. His firing comes amid a broader purge of career employees connected to Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump, including prosecutors and support staff. Ed Martin, a prominent defender of the January 6 rioters, has been chosen to lead a working group investigating the alleged weaponization of officials who investigated Trump.
It remains unclear if Tirrell’s dismissal is linked to the January 6-related terminations. Earlier this year, Tirrell signed off on $140,000 worth of free legal services provided to Smith before he resigned. Neither Tirrell nor the Justice Department returned requests for comment.
