Prosecutor fired hours after conservative commentator publicized his old blog
Rosenzweig’s lawsuit, filed Friday, contends that a blog he authored years earlier — one covering a broad range of topics — became the basis for his removal from the Justice Department. According to the complaint, a conservative political commentator publicized the post online, included a screenshot of Rosenzweig’s LinkedIn account, and tagged senior Justice Department officials for their awareness.
Less than three hours after the post appeared, the lawsuit says, Rosenzweig received an email signed by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi informing him that he had been fired. The notification arrived while he was out of town with his family observing the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana.
Rosenzweig was two weeks away from trying a multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud case at the time of his dismissal, according to the suit.
The lawsuit argues the firing violated Rosenzweig’s First Amendment rights, saying the critical comments about Trump were written in his capacity as a private citizen rather than as a government official. The dispute tests the scope of First Amendment protections for federal employees who criticize public officials in private capacities.