An ally of the current president resigned on Thursday from his post. This leads to a Department of Justice investigation into whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired against Donald Trump. The resignation throws the sprawling probe into disarray at a moment when the president’s allies demand faster results.
Donald Trump ally leaves role as inquiry draws attention
Joe diGenova, an 81-year-old veteran prosecutor and close Trump ally, confirmed his exit but refused to explain it. “I’m moving on,” he said, offering no further detail. He did praise his brief tenure, calling it “an honor and a privilege to serve the president and the department.”
His resignation follows growing frustration inside Trump’s orbit that retribution cases against the president’s perceived enemies have stalled. DiGenova appeared to acknowledge that pressure without directly addressing it. “Sometimes people want things done faster and that’s all you can do,” he said. He added that building solid cases takes time, noting: “The bottom line is it takes a long time to make good cases, and you simply have to work at it.”
A source told NBC News that Justice Department leaders had already lost faith in diGenova’s ability to run the investigation. Officials felt the probe lagged despite providing him a team of lawyers from Washington. The department hopes those attorneys can now steer the inquiry back on course. No single replacement will reportedly take over, and the investigation should continue without interruption.
For those unaware, DiGenova returned to the Justice Department in April after asking then-Attorney General Pam Bondi for the job. He had publicly and repeatedly claimed Trump fell victim to an intelligence community conspiracy. During the first Trump administration, he advised conservative journalist John Solomon, who played an official role in White House efforts to promote those allegations.
The investigation centers on one of Trump’s deepest grievances: a US intelligence assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help him win. Trump and his supporters call that conclusion a “deep state” plot. Multiple government reviews, including by a Justice Department special counsel and the department’s inspector general, found that Russia interfered extensively on Trump’s behalf.
The Florida-based probe has moved unevenly since launching a year ago.
