Executive Summary
The Story So Far
Why This Matters
Who Thinks What?
The Trump administration has fired Michael Ben’Ary, the top national security prosecutor in the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, following a social media post that falsely linked him to the recent indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. Ben’Ary was dismissed on Wednesday, according to two individuals familiar with the matter, after a pro-Trump activist published speculative claims about his involvement in the Comey case.
Ben’Ary, who served as chief of the national security section in the Alexandria-based office and previously worked at Justice Department headquarters, was the subject of a post on X by Julie Kelly, a pro-Trump activist and writer. Kelly speculated that Ben’Ary was “a big part of the internal resistance to the Comey indictment.” However, one of the sources familiar with the situation confirmed that Ben’Ary was not involved in the Comey case.
The indictment of Comey on two felony counts last week followed internal concerns from career lawyers in the office who had outlined in a memo that the evidence in the case did not support prosecution. Before Comey’s indictment, President Trump had removed his own nominee to lead the office and appointed his former personal lawyer, Lindsey Halligan, as interim US attorney. This move came after Trump publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue legal action against political adversaries, including Comey.
Spokesmen for the Justice Department and the Eastern District of Virginia did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding Ben’Ary’s firing. Ben’Ary also did not respond to a request for comment made via his LinkedIn account.
This dismissal appears to be part of a broader pattern of firings involving Justice Department prosecutors and employees who have been targeted by prominent pro-Trump influencers on social media. In a lawsuit filed last month, three former FBI agents cited similar social media posts by pro-Trump accounts as influencing their terminations from the bureau.
Key Takeaways
The firing of Michael Ben’Ary highlights the intense political scrutiny faced by career Justice Department officials and the growing influence of social media activism on personnel decisions within federal agencies.
