The now former top ethics attorney at the Department of Justice posted on Monday that he was fired on Friday.
Joseph Tirrell went to his LinkedIn account to post his comments about being fired, along with posting a copy of his termination notice from Attorney General Pam Bondi.
He said, "Until Friday evening, I was the senior ethics attorney at the Department of Justice responsible for advising the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General directly on federal employee ethics."
Tirrell pointed out that his termination notice did not offer a specific reason why he was being dismissed. His comments show a level of disappointment in the abrupt change in his employment status. "I led a small, dedicated team of professionals... ensuring that the 117,000 Department employees were properly advised on and supported in how to follow the federal employee ethics rules."
ABC reported that at least 20 other DOJ attorneys and top staff members got similar termination notices in recent weeks. Many reportedly had some connection with former special counsel Jack Smith's team that tried to secure prosecutions of President Donald Trump. Smith resigned in January following Trump's win in the 2024 presidential election.
The ABC report indicated that Tirrell signed off on a $140,000 "gift" of legal services Smith had accepted, and Tirrell noted that it complied with government ethics.
Smith's efforts have been the focus of a Department of Justice review announced by Attorney General Pam Bondi in early February.
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