About a dozen Justice Department employees who worked for former special counsel Jack Smith on the investigation and prosecution of President Trump are being fired, two sources familiar with the matter confirmed to CBS News. The federal prosecutors were informed of the decision to terminate their positions via a letter sent over email after Justice Department leadership determined they were unable to carry out Mr. Trump’s agenda.

“Acting Attorney General James McHenry made this decision because he did not believe these officials could be trusted to faithfully implement the president’s agenda because of their significant role in prosecuting the president,” a Justice Department official told CBS News.

Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 and took over two ongoing investigations of the president, one related to his handling of classified records and the other tied to his conduct following the 2020 presidential election.

Both cases were dismissed after Mr. Trump won the 2024 presidential election. Smith informed the judges overseeing the cases that Justice Department policy forbids the prosecution of a sitting president.