A Former Federal Prosecutor on Why He Quit Donald Trump’s Department of Justice

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<p>Thousands of federal prosecutors have been fired or have resigned from their roles since Pam Bondi took over as Attorney General. She has made no secret of weaponizing the Justice Department to pursue Donald Trump’s vendettas. One of those prosecutors is Troy Edwards, who quit a senior national-security position in the Eastern District of Virginia. As an assistant U.S. attorney in DC, Edwardshad won convictions against members of the Oath Keepers for January 6th-related offenses. Edwards is also the son-in-law of the former F.B.I. director James Comey, and, when the Justice Department indicted Comey on grounds widely seen as flimsy, Edwards knew he had reached his red line. (The charges were quickly dismissed, though without prejudice.) <i>The New Yorker’s</i> legal correspondent <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/ruth-marcus" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ruth Marcus</a> talks with Edwards about his decision to leave, how he broke it to his family, and why he thinks other prosecutors should not follow his lead. </p> <p><strong>Further reading: </strong></p> <ul> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/pam-bondis-contempt-for-congress" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pam Bondi’s Contempt for Congress</a>,” by Ruth Marcus</li> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/the-flimsy-dangerous-indictment-of-james-comey" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Flimsy, Dangerous Indictment of James Comey</a>,” by Ruth Marcus</li> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/08/25/pam-bondi-profile" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pam Bondi’s Power Play</a>,” by Ruth Marcus</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>