Second DOJ Lawyer Exits Trump Probe

A second U.S. Justice Department lawyer has left a criminal investigation examining whether President Donald Trump’s rights were violated during earlier federal investigations, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Kurt Olsen, who joined the Justice Department this spring after previously working at the White House, has withdrawn from the Florida-based Trump investigation. However, a third source said Olsen remains employed by the Justice Department.

His departure follows the resignation of Joseph diGenova, the DOJ official who had been overseeing the inquiry. DiGenova stepped down a little more than two weeks earlier following disagreements with Justice Department leadership. One source said Olsen became increasingly dissatisfied with the direction of the investigation after diGenova’s exit.

The probe, being conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami, is examining allegations that former federal law enforcement and intelligence officials participated in a criminal conspiracy targeting Trump.

Investigators are reviewing the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment that Russia sought to help Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. The inquiry is also examining the later federal investigation involving classified documents kept at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence after his first presidential term.

Earlier this month, Olsen led a call with attorneys representing former CIA Director John Brennan, who served during Democratic President Barack Obama’s administration. Court documents indicate Brennan has been informed that he is a target of the investigation.

Before joining the federal government, Olsen worked as a private attorney and supported Trump’s claims of widespread fraud following the 2020 presidential election. Courts and election officials found no evidence of widespread fraud sufficient to alter the election outcome.

Olsen later served as a White House election security official, where he pursued claims alleging voting machines had been manipulated against Trump. Those allegations have also been rejected by election officials and other investigations.

The departure of two lawyers in a matter of weeks adds further personnel changes to the Miami-based Justice Department investigation as prosecutors continue examining the conduct of former intelligence and law enforcement officials.