Retaliation against officers following the law
Retaliation against officers following the law — military or federal law enforcement personnel who refuse unlawful orders, who report misconduct up the chain, or who testify truthfully under oath — corrodes the lawful chain of command and signals that loyalty to person, not law, is the operative norm. Concrete forms include reassignment to punitive postings, blocked promotions, security-clearance revocations, and public denunciation. The publication tracks documented retaliation linked to the officer's compliance with law or duty.
Documented entries (4)
2026
DOJ fires six immigration judges, including two who blocked deportations of Öztürk and Mahdawi
The Justice Department on April 10, 2026 fired six immigration judges, among them Boston judge Roopal Patel, who ruled in January that the government had no grounds to deport Tufts doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk, and Chelmsford, Massachusetts judge Nina Froes, who in February dismissed deportation proceedings against Columbia activist Mohsen Mahdawi. Both judges were dismissed by email mid-hearing near the end of their probationary periods, in a purge in which the National Association of Immigration Judges says at least 113 of roughly 750 immigration judges have been fired since January 2025.
Deputy AG Blanche boasts every DOJ and FBI employee who investigated Trump is gone
At a CPAC fireside chat on March 26, 2026, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche declared that every Justice Department and FBI employee who worked on the criminal investigations into President Trump had been fired, resigned, or taken early retirement — "not a single man or woman" remained — putting the DOJ figure at "over 200." His public confirmation marked the completion of a systematic purge of the career personnel who had investigated the president, with termination letters citing employees' prosecution work as the reason they could not be "trusted."
FBI fires about 10 employees who worked on Trump's Mar-a-Lago classified-documents case
Around February 25, 2026, the FBI dismissed roughly 10 employees who had worked on the criminal investigation into President Trump's retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. The firings came hours after FBI Director Kash Patel publicly characterized the inquiry — under which his and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles's phone records had been subpoenaed — as Biden-era overreach, and followed reporting that those subpoenas had surfaced. The bureau dismissed additional personnel the next day, bringing the total to roughly a dozen.
2025
The Intercept report reveals Hegseth forced SOUTHCOM commander Holsey into early retirement over legal objections to Southern Spear strikes
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on October 16, 2025 that Admiral Alvin Holsey, commander of U.S. Southern Command, would retire effective December 12, two years ahead of schedule after only one year in command. The Intercept's investigation found the abrupt announcement followed an October 6 Pentagon meeting where Holsey offered to resign after disputes with Hegseth over the conduct and legality of the Southern Spear drug-boat strikes. Multiple officials described SOUTHCOM as "in turmoil" and "disillusioned" after the announcement.