A top federal prosecutor in South Florida who led the Justice Department’s investigation into Obama- and Biden-era intelligence and law enforcement officials has resigned, Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
Mr. Blanche announced the resignation of Jason Reding Quinones, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, on Friday, praising his work combating violent crime, trafficking and transnational criminal organizations.
“Jason has served the Department multiple times over his distinguished career, and we thank him for his service to this country,” Mr. Blanche said in a statement.
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Mr. Blanche offered no explanation for the departure. Mr. Reding Quinones also did not give one in his own statement, in which he described public service in his home district as especially meaningful.
DOJ leadership pressured him to leave, according to multiple reports.
The “grand conspiracy” investigation into what President Trump and MAGA call Russiagate has not produced any charges.
It examines whether former officials conspired to deprive Mr. Trump of his civil rights through a series of investigations. These include the 2016 intelligence assessment on Russian interference, FBI probes of the Trump campaign and prosecutions by former special counsel Jack Smith.
A grand jury has issued subpoenas to several former officials, including former FBI Director James Comey in March and former CIA Director John Brennan in September.
Mr. Reding Quinones is the latest to leave the investigation.
Joe diGenova, a former U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, brought in to lead the probe, resigned in September.
Kurt Olsen, a former White House election security official who worked to challenge the 2020 election results, also left the investigation in September.
In April, Maria Medetis Long, the career prosecutor leading the Brennan investigation, was reportedly removed from it after expressing doubts that the evidence was sufficient for a criminal case.
The Justice Department did not dispute that she was off the case and called changes to legal teams normal.
Mr. Reding Quinones’ resignation came a day after Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who led the Civil Rights Division, resigned. Both exits followed Tuesday’s midterms, in which Republicans suffered heavy losses.
Yara Klukas, the first assistant U.S. attorney, is expected to take over in an acting capacity, Bloomberg Law reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Mr. Blanche told reporters in October that Mr. Reding Quinones “always has been in charge” of the investigation. The attorney general said he felt no frustration with its pace and that it would continue.
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