DOJ Fires EDVA National Security Chief Amid Purge

The Justice Department fired Michael Ben’Ary, chief of the national security unit in the Eastern District of Virginia, on Wednesday after pro‑Trump writer Julie Kelly posted on social media alleging he was part of an “internal resistance” to the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. Multiple people familiar with the matter say Ben’Ary did not work on the Comey case. His dismissal follows the earlier firing of Maya Song and comes amid turmoil after President Trump removed U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert and installed interim prosecutor Lindsey Halligan, who secured the Comey indictment. Career prosecutors in the office circulated a memo expressing concerns that the Comey charges lacked sufficient evidence. Ben’Ary previously worked at DOJ headquarters and led high‑profile national security prosecutions, including the Mohammad Sharifullah case, and DOJ declined to comment. The spate of recent firings has drawn alarm about political influence over the traditionally independent Justice Department and the targeting of prosecutors by MAGA-aligned influencers on social media.