Justice Dept. Fires Another Biden-Era Prosecutor
The Justice Department has dismissed Michael Ben’Ary, a longtime national security prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia, amid an ongoing shakeup of senior officials with ties to the Biden administration.
Ben’Ary, who had led the district’s national security unit, was forced out on Wednesday—just hours after conservative commentator Julie Kelly drew attention to his prior work as senior counsel to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco during President Joe Biden’s tenure.
According to the Associated Press, Ben’Ary was notified of his removal the same day Kelly posted about his history in the Biden Justice Department. The timing fueled speculation that his dismissal may be part of President Trump’s broader effort to clean out partisan influence from within DOJ ranks.
This marks the latest high-profile departure from the Alexandria-based U.S. attorney’s office, which in recent weeks has undergone sweeping personnel changes. Last Friday, Maya Song—the top deputy to former U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert—was also removed. Siebert, a Trump appointee, resigned last month following disputes over whether to pursue charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James in a mortgage fraud case, Newsweek reported.
Ben’Ary’s ouster is particularly significant given his nearly two-decade career at DOJ, where he served under both Republican and Democratic administrations. Most recently, he had overseen the prosecution of an alleged planner of the 2021 Kabul airport suicide bombing, which killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 170 Afghan civilians during Biden’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. His removal leaves uncertainty surrounding the case, though there had been no clear signs charges were forthcoming.
Some observers believe the move may also be tied to internal disputes over the department’s indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. Conservative commentator Julie Kelly speculated that Ben’Ary may have resisted efforts to bring Comey to trial.
Earlier this year, President Trump appointed Lindsey Halligan—a former Trump lawyer and White House aide—as the new U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Halligan has no prior experience as a federal prosecutor but quickly made headlines when she announced an indictment against Comey, accusing him of misleading Congress about FBI officials leaking anonymously to reporters. Comey has denied the allegations and is set to appear in court next week.
The indictment prompted the immediate resignation of Comey’s son-in-law, Troy Edwards, who had been serving as deputy chief of DOJ’s National Security Section. Edwards submitted a one-line resignation letter to Halligan minutes after the indictment was unsealed.
This is not the first time President Trump’s personnel decisions have coincided with grassroots conservative concerns. Back in April, the President dismissed several officials from the White House National Security Council a day after activist Laura Loomer publicly raised questions about their loyalty.
Kelly defended Ben’Ary’s dismissal, telling NBC News that his Biden-era ties made his role in one of the nation’s most powerful federal prosecutor offices untenable:
“You can’t have someone who was a top official for Lisa Monaco at the same time she was orchestrating the lawfare against the president, against his associates, and 1,600 of his supporters who participated in Jan. 6, have a top role at one of the most powerful U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the country,” she said.
With Halligan now firmly in place, the Trump administration is signaling that DOJ’s days of protecting entrenched political insiders may finally be over.