REBECCA BEITSCH, The Hill; Schiff, Democrats demand rationale on Bondi firing of ethics attorney
"Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) asked Attorney General Pam Bondi for her rationale in firing the Justice Department’s top ethics attorney, asking for details on who will provide ethics guidance to the department.
Bondi fired Joseph Tirrell, director of the Departmental Ethics Office, on Friday after more than 20 years at the Justice Department and the FBI.
The firing of Tirrell marks the removal of one of the last remaining career ethics leaders in the department.
“This latest dismissal of a career ethics official continues the Department’s systematic dismantling of its internal ethics safeguards under your watch, which further undermines public confidence and congressional trust in the Department and its senior leadership,” Schiff wrote in a letter joined by Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Alex Padilla (Calif.) and Peter Welch (Vt.).
Ethical matters are of top concern to Democrats given Bondi and other top Justice Department officials’ background serving as part of President Trump’s private legal team."
