Truthout is a vital news source and a living history of political struggle. If you think our work is valuable, support us with a donation of any size.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired Joseph Tirrell, a career ethics official at the Department of Justice (DOJ) who was tasked with ensuring that employees at the department were adhering to ethical rules and obligations.
Tirrell shared news of his firing in a LinkedIn post on Monday that included an image of his termination letter signed by Bondi. The letter did not include a reason for his being let go.
The letter is similar to ones that were given to around 20 other DOJ officials earlier this summer. Those individuals were also not told why they were being fired, but they were all employees who had worked on former special counsel Jack Smith’s team in the investigations of President Donald Trump, relating to the classified documents and election subversion cases.
Tirrell, whose official position was “DOJ Senior Executive in Charge of Ethics,” signed off on an ethics question brought up during Smith’s time as special counsel, relating to Smith accepting pro bono legal payments in the past that had been labeled as a gift.
Tirrell had served in his former position since 2023, but has worked in several ethics-related positions within the federal government across a number of administrations, both Democratic and Republican. As the DOJ ethics head, he was “responsible for advising the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General directly on federal employee ethics,” he said in his LinkedIn post, and was “responsible for the day-to-day operations of the ethics program across the Department.”
Bondi’s decision to fire Tirrell may raise eyebrows among ethics experts, especially since this is just her latest questionable action during her short tenure as attorney general.
For example, a whistleblower report submitted earlier this year suggested that Emil Bove, who is currently the principal associate deputy attorney general and has been nominated by President Donald Trump for a federal judgeship, encouraged DOJ employees to consider ignoring federal court rulings against Trump’s executive orders or actions. (The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote on advancing Bove’s nomination later this week.)
In response to that report, submitted by former DOJ official Erez Reuveni, Bondi disparaged Reuveni rather than address the allegations.
“We support legitimate whistleblowers, but this disgruntled employee is not a whistleblower — he’s a leaker asserting false claims seeking five minutes of fame, conveniently timed just before a confirmation hearing and a committee vote,” Bondi said.
Supporting documents and evidence relating to Reuveni’s whistleblower complaint have demonstrated that they likely have some merit.
During her own confirmation hearings, Bondi sought to assure senators that she would consult with “appropriate officials at the Department of Justice, including career officials,” regarding all ethical questions.
“I will expect all employees to carry out their assigned responsibilities and report to appropriate ethics officials any interference with their responsibilities,” Bondi said in her questionnaire response.
Tirrell’s firing means that Bondi now gets to appoint his replacement.
Important Message: Please Read
For 25 years, Truthout has survived by publishing impactful investigative journalism and analysis; distributing full editions 365 days a year; and building a community of readers who support us with small, hard-earned donations.
Eighty percent of our $3 million yearly budget comes from small donors alone. Of those, 8,000 readers support us with monthly donations. Back in 2018, when Facebook decided to suppress the circulation of posts made by organizations, thereby cutting readers off from seeing many articles shared by the news organizations they had intentionally decided to follow, Truthout’s total traffic declined by 40 percent, as nearly all of our traffic from that platform disappeared.
Now, Google has recently rolled out its AI search bar, providing AI summaries instead of directing readers to our site. Google Search is our single largest source of traffic; it’s the route by which nearly one third of our readers find us. Much like in 2018, a shocking 40 percent of our Google traffic has disappeared overnight.
It will not be easy for Truthout to shoulder this blow. Nor will it be easy for our peers and collaborators — news sites that depend on traffic and aren’t bankrolled by large corporations.
If you can support Truthout with a donation today, you can help us resist the AI onslaught. Please give today.