BREAKING: A career federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, Adam Schleifer, was abruptly fired—reportedly at the direction of the White House—after leading the prosecution of Andrew Wiederhorn, a wealthy Trump donor and former CEO of the company behind Fatburger and Johnny Rockets.
A grand jury indicted Wiederhorn on charges of hiding millions in income through sham shareholder loans used to pay for private jets, luxury cars, and jewelry.
Wiederhorn’s legal team, which includes former Trump-aligned officials, aggressively lobbied the DOJ to drop the charges and personally attacked Schleifer as biased.
Then, without involvement from his direct supervisor, Schleifer received a one-line email stating he was terminated “on behalf of President Donald J. Trump.”
The firing came shortly after Laura Loomer publicly demanded his ouster, citing Schleifer’s past tweets about Trump.
Schleifer’s tweets were posted prior to Schleifer being hired by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
While it is normal for U.S. Attorneys to resign after a new president takes office, direct interference by the White House in the employment of line prosecutors is unprecedented.