(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Fired Jan. 6 prosecutors sue Trump and Bondi [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-07-28

Filed July 24th, their 22-page complaint (PDF) details their work for the DOJ. After Jan. 6, Gordon was the Senior Trial Counsel to the Capitol Siege Section in the U.S. Attorney's Office in DC. Patricia Hartman was a Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist in the DOJ's U.S. Attorney's Office in DC. Joseph Tirrell was the senior-most executive in charge of the DOJ's Departmental Ethics Office in DC.

Defendants are the Executive Office of the President, Bondi, the DOJ, and the USA. The three plaintiffs are being represented by Abbe Lowell, last heard from defending Letitia James about a mortgage principal residence designation, which was corrected immediately at the time it happened years ago.

As you can see from Tirrell's termination letter, no cause was listed. They also misspelled his first name as "JOSPEH."

Gordon got an "Outstanding" in his job review two days before termination. That's the highest rating you can get. Ms. Hartman always got "Successful" or "Outstanding." Tirrell worked for the FBI from 2006 to 2018, with a total of 19 years of civil service and a US Naval Officer for 6 years.

Their case is obvious. Fired without merit-cause and lack of due process. Their only option was to appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board, which Trump has already gutted and neutered. A week ago Trump reclassed all civil servants so that they no longer have Civil Service protections, possibly for whistleblowers, too.

Gordon was fired the same day as two other Assistant U.S. Attorneys, showing the political motivation.

Tirrell had additional protections as a U.S. veteran.

On Feb. 10th, Trump fired MSPB member Cathy Harris, upheld on appeal, so there is no longer a quorum and no business can be done. As noted in the complaint, filing with the MSPB would be futile. Further, the DOJ has asserted that the very existence of the MSPB is invalid in the face of the President's Article II powers.

They cite six violations in the firings.

Administrative Procedure Act Second APA violation Fifth Amendment - due process Second Fifth Amendment violation Declaratory judgement 28 U.S.C. ยง 2201 and 2202 Writ of Mandamus

Gordon was a prosecutor on two notable Jan. 6 cases. One was Richard Barrett, shown with his feet propped up on Speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk, as well as Ray Epps, who spawned conspiracy stories about him being an FBI agent fanning the insurrection.

In an interview, Gordon said, "The Trump Administration is walking around the house, dousing it with gasoline and playing with matches in the corner. And we all have to stand up and shout from the rooftops before that match gets lit and the house goes up in flames."

Speaking to CBS right after her firing, Ms. Hartman said, "There used to be a line, used to be a very distinct separation between the White House and the Department of Justice because one should not interfere with the work of the other. That line is very definitely gone." She oversaw press releases about Jan. 6 cases and helped maintain the content of an online database for the Justice Department on Capitol Siege cases.

Mr. Tirrell commented, "I led a small dedicated team of professionals and coordinated the work of some 30 full-time ethics officials, attorneys, paralegals and other specialists across the Department of Justice, ensuring that the 117,000 Department employees were properly advised on and supported in how to follow the federal employment ethics rules."

Tirrell said in a LinkedIn post, "I look forward to finding ways to continue in my personal calling of service to my country. I encourage anyone who is reading this to do the same. I believe In the words of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. --- 'the ark of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.' I also believe that Edmund Burke is right and that 'the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.'"

Here's Tirrell's full statement on LinkedIn.

The DOJ did not respond to inquiries by CBS or Newsweek.

Interesting that Tirrell would use that quote by Edmund Burke. We truly are battling evil. There's no other way to describe it.

I would add Shakespeare's, "The evil that men do lives after them." Whenever and however Donald Trump leaves office, there will be a long road to recovery, both here and abroad, to undo his damage.

You can follow the case here on Court Listener.

The three of them have one of the best lawyers there is in Abbe Lowell. I wonder if he's doing it pro bono. No matter what, they're going to get their day in court. Will Pam Bondi still be around when that happens? The handling of the Epstein files is enough controversy to get her fired, like SignalGate was for Waltz, except now he looks like he's going to be the UN Ambassador. Only in the Trump administration can you screw up and get promoted. Trump would probably nominate her for a lifetime federal judgeship.

The other case relevant to the nature of firing that came to mind is the 17 Inspectors General, terminated in February. The case proceeds and they are being represented by lawyers from WilmerHale, one of the winners in law firms against Trump.

The wheels of justice may turn slowly, but they do turn. There are 348 cases against the Trump administration showing up today on Just Security. More everyday shows that Trump is not the king he thinks he is. The fall of the mighty cannot come too soon.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/28/2335357/-Fired-Jan-6-prosecutors-sue-Trump-and-Bondi?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/