The Justice Department has fired Michael Ben’Ary, a senior national security prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia.
His dismissal marks the latest high-profile departure from the office.
Ben’Ary led the district’s national security unit. He was removed on Wednesday, just hours after conservative commentator Julie Kelly highlighted his prior work in the Biden administration.
According to the Associated Press, Ben’Ary was notified the same day Kelly posted that he had served as senior counsel to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco under President Biden.
His firing adds to a string of changes at the Alexandria-based U.S. attorney’s office.
Several senior prosecutors have left in recent weeks under pressure from the Trump administration, per the Conservative Brief.
Last Friday, officials confirmed that Maya Song, top deputy to former U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert, was also forced out.
Siebert, a Trump appointee, resigned last month following disputes with administration officials over whether to pursue charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James in a mortgage fraud probe, Newsweek reported.
Ben’Ary’s removal is notable given his nearly 20-year career at the Justice Department.
He served under both Republican and Democratic administrations.
He had been leading the prosecution of an alleged planner of the 2021 suicide bombing at Kabul’s airport, which killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 170 Afghan civilians.
His removal casts uncertainty over the case, though no charges were confirmed to be pending.
Julie Kelly speculated that Ben’Ary may have resisted the Justice Department’s case against former FBI Director James Comey, Newsweek reported.
The recent firings have raised concerns among legal experts. Many see the moves as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to assert political influence over federal prosecutions.
Traditionally, career prosecutors remain in place across administrations, even as U.S. attorneys, who are political appointees, are replaced.
Under President Donald Trump, however, the Justice Department has removed prosecutors tied to politically sensitive cases, including investigations into the Jan. 6 Capitol protest and special counsel Jack Smith’s probes into Trump.
Song’s departure followed the appointment of Lindsey Halligan as the new U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Halligan, a former Trump lawyer and White House aide with no prior federal prosecutorial experience, assumed the role after Trump publicly pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue cases against individuals he claimed persecuted him.
Shortly after taking office, Halligan announced an indictment against Comey, accusing him of misleading Congress about authorizing FBI officials to speak anonymously to reporters. Comey has denied the allegations and is expected to appear in court next week.
The indictment prompted the immediate resignation of Comey’s son-in-law, Troy Edwards. Edwards had been deputy chief of the Justice Department’s National Security Section. He submitted a one-sentence resignation letter to Halligan within minutes of the announcement.
Ben’Ary’s firing is not the first instance where administration dismissals coincided with commentary from far-right figures. In April, Trump removed several officials from the White House National Security Council a day after activist Laura Loomer raised concerns about staff loyalty.
Kelly defended the dismissal, saying it was justified even if Ben’Ary had no involvement in Comey’s case.
“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.
