Senior Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutor Jay Bratt, who was accused of ethical misconduct in the “documents” case against President-elect Donald Trump, has reportedly resigned in advance of the start of the new administration.
Bratt is described by journalist Michael Isikoff — a key figure in the publication of the “Russia collusion” hoax, with deep sources in the DOJ — as having resigned before Trump could retaliate against him. Isikoff wrote at SpyTalk:
The resignation of Jay Bratt, a career lawyer who served as chief of the counterintelligence and export controls section inside the national security division before being detailed to Smith’s staff, has not been publicly announced by the department.
But three sources familiar with the move described it to SpyTalk as a significant and even chilling event previewing a potential exodus of seasoned government lawyers and FBI agents who fear the wrath of Pam Bondi, Trump ’s pick for attorney general, Kash Patel, his intended nominee for FBI Director, and their expected army of MAGA loyalists in line to fill out top posts.
“They’re forcing him out. There isn’t any doubt that, like [FBI Director Chris] Wray, he’s leaving to get ahead of the axe,” said one former Justice official who attended a farewell party for Bratt at the Justice Department’s seventh floor media center on Friday.
In reality, Bratt faced not retaliation, but serious questions about his compliance with ethical rules. In 2023, the House Judiciary Committee began investigating Bratt for his conduct as part of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team.
Attorney Stanley Woodward, who represents Walt Nauta, one of Trump’s co-defendants, had alleged that Bratt had threatened him with the loss of a potential opportunity to become a local judge in Washington, D.C., unless he could convince his client to cooperate with investigators against Trump.
Jordan wrote to Bratt in July 2024: “As indicated by defense lawyers and unsealed documents, you have engaged in a series of improper actions and unethical conduct that violate the Department’s duty to impartial justice.”
The UK Guardian‘s Hugo Lowell reported in 2021: “This incident with Jay Bratt is widely known inside the National Security Division and is being viewed as a problem.”
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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