• Justice Connection reports 5,500 prosecutors, agents and DOJ staff left in 2025
• FBI lost roughly 800 special agents from workforce of 13,000
• Former prosecutors warn exodus undermines ability to detect terrorism, cyberattacks and fraud

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — The United States Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation are experiencing an unprecedented exodus of experienced personnel that national security experts warn could undermine America’s ability to detect and prevent terrorist attacks, cyberattacks and fraud.

Approximately 5,500 prosecutors, agents and other DOJ staff departed in 2025, according to Justice Connection, an advocacy group representing department alumni. The FBI has lost roughly 800 of its 13,000 special agents within the past year.

Stacey Young, executive director of Justice Connection and former department attorney, warned the workforce is “being asked to put loyalty to the President over the Constitution, the rule of law, and their professional ethical obligations.”

“The purge we’ve witnessed at the Justice Department has been catastrophic, and it isn’t slowing down. Thousands have already left because of this administration’s degradation of DOJ’s vital work and its attacks on the public servants who do it.”

Departures Include Resignations and Terminations

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The departures combine voluntary resignations, retirements and terminations, including high-profile firings of prosecutors who worked on January 6 cases. More than 200 employees were fired, according to Justice Connection.

Among those terminated was Maurene Comey, daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, who prosecuted cases involving Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. She subsequently filed a lawsuit challenging her dismissal.

“If a career prosecutor can be fired without reason, fear may seep into the decisions of those who remain. Fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought.”

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Comey wrote in her farewell message collected by Justice Connection.

Three assistant US attorneys who resisted dismissing charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams submitted a resignation notice stating the DOJ “decided that obedience supersedes all else.” Their departure triggered a walkout at the department.

National Security Implications

The personnel losses have raised concerns about compromised counterterrorism and counterintelligence capabilities. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel warning that senior DOJ officials redirected personnel from core national security missions to immigration enforcement.

“Over the last year, senior officials have reassigned personnel and assets from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s core national security mission to immigration enforcement, leaving counterterrorism and counterintelligence work compromised and putting our national security at risk.”

Reports indicate 45 percent of agents in 25 FBI field offices have been reassigned to work on immigration full time, according to Justice Connection’s tracking.

Former federal prosecutor Peter Lallas connected the personnel exodus to increasing prosecutorial errors.

“It is no coincidence that in the wake of a mass exodus of experienced federal prosecutors and federal agents that there have been more actual or perceived missteps by department employees.”

A federal magistrate judge noted a 21 percent dismissal rate for DC prosecutors, describing unprecedented prosecutorial missteps that resulted in charges being dropped in multiple cases.

Civil Rights Division Devastated

The department’s Civil Rights Division experienced particularly severe losses. According to NPR reporting, approximately 250 attorneys — roughly 70 percent of the division’s lawyers — left or planned to leave between President Donald Trump’s inauguration and the end of May 2025.

Current and former officials reported attorneys “walking around the hallways in tears or sobbing through meetings” as the division shelved its traditional mission and focused instead on enforcing presidential executive orders.

Young said the division historically ensured accountability for discrimination but has been “recklessly dismantled.”

“With the reckless dismantling of the division, we’ll see unchecked discrimination and constitutional violations in schools, housing, employment, voting, prisons, by police departments and in many other realms of our daily lives.”

Recruitment Challenges

The Washington Post reported DOJ recruiting numbers have “plummeted” despite the agency previously being considered a premier destination for graduates of top law schools. The department typically maintains approximately 10,000 attorneys on its payroll.

NYU Law School Associate Dean Randy Hertz told the Post that interest in DOJ careers has dropped dramatically among students.

“It’s very, very dramatic. It’s gone from a good amount of our graduating class to virtually no one applying for jobs at the Justice Department.”

US attorneys’ offices are experiencing higher turnover than previous administrations. US Attorney Jeanine Pirro, whom Trump appointed to the District of Columbia office, acknowledged on Fox News in August that her office was “down 90 prosecutors, 60 investigators and paralegals” and used the interview to appeal for applicants.

Budget Cuts and Position Eliminations

The Justice Department’s fiscal 2026 budget request confirmed elimination of 4,500 positions through the “Fork in the Road” deferred resignation program, which offered employees voluntary exits in exchange for benefits. The initiative yielded an estimated $470 million in savings.

The budget documents reviewed by the Washington Examiner indicated plans to cut 1,500 personnel from the FBI specifically.

Young warned about long-term consequences of the personnel crisis.

“If the Justice Department can be rebuilt it will take years and possibly generations. There’s been just a massive exodus of invaluable institutional knowledge and talent.”

Can the Justice Department and FBI recover from losing thousands of experienced prosecutors and agents, or will national security capabilities remain compromised for years to come?

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