In a significant move, the Trump administration has reportedly reassigned over a dozen longtime officials at the Justice Department, including George Toscas, a key figure in the FBI’s 2022 raid of Mar-a-Lago.
These changes, affecting at least 15 senior employees, are designed to place them in new roles where they’re expected to have less sway over the department’s big decisions. While they’re staying within the DOJ, their influence is being dialed down.
Some officials found out about their new assignments just hours after President Trump was inaugurated, according to the Washington Post.
One of the most notable figures being reassigned is George Toscas, who’s been with the DOJ’s National Security Division for nearly 20 years. Toscas was heavily involved in the August 2022 FBI raid at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, following the ex-president’s refusal to hand over certain White House documents.
Ahead of the raid, Toscas reportedly had strong words with FBI officials, saying he didn’t care about the “optics” of searching a former president’s home. He was known to be a tough, no-nonsense figure. In fact, Toscas even reprimanded FBI officials who initially hesitated to move forward with the search, telling them they were “way out of line.”
This reassignment could have a lasting impact on the DOJ, especially with someone like Toscas being moved to the Office of Sanctuary Cities Enforcement. Toscas’ colleagues have said that his expertise in counterterrorism and counterintelligence will be sorely missed. According to one former DOJ employee, “There’s no one who knows more about prosecuting terrorists and spies than George Toscas.”
While the reassignments are causing some tension, it’s clear that these moves are a part of the broader shift in priorities within the department. Trump has long claimed that the DOJ’s actions, including the Mar-a-Lago raid and subsequent legal challenges, represent a “weaponization” of the department under President Biden’s administration. Trump has even vowed to undo this approach if he gets another term in office.
Some of the reassigned officials may decide to leave the DOJ instead of accepting their new roles, which will be interesting to watch as this story continues to unfold.
Stay tuned, as this shake-up is sure to have ongoing repercussions for both the DOJ and the political landscape.
