Grand jury blocks Justice Department lawsuit against six Democrats
A grand jury has blocked the Justice Department’s lawsuit against six Democratic members of Congress over controversial video messages to military personnel.
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department moved to fire the new U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York on Wednesday, February 11, the same day a federal judge announced his appointment to replace a prosecutor allied with President Donald Trump.
President Trump has drawn criticism from human rights advocates and political experts for what they call the administration’s targeting of political opponents in an effort that faces legal challenges and protests. In a ceremony Wednesday, the Northern District of New York Board of Judges appointed Donald Kinsella to replace John Sarcone, who had been serving in an acting capacity but was disbarred by the court.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote to X, “You are fired, Donald Kinsella.” “The @POTUS chooses the U.S. attorney, not the judge.”
Mr. Kinsella could not be reached for comment, but he has decades of experience in criminal and civil litigation and previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney and head of the Justice Department’s criminal division.
A federal judge ruled last month that Sarcone had illegally served as the top federal prosecutor in Albany, New York, and blocked state Attorney General Letitia James from involvement in the investigation.
On Wednesday, Feb. 11, the department’s website showed him listed as “First Assistant U.S. Attorney.”
The Justice Department used a series of procedures to keep Sarcone as acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District after a federal court refused to extend Sarcone’s interim appointment for 120 days.
Those moves were found illegal by the court, as were other court decisions denying appointments in California, Nevada and New Jersey.
The Trump administration has particularly targeted James, a Democrat and one of the Republican president’s biggest political opponents, arguing that the investigation into him was retaliation for suing Trump’s family business.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
