Quiñones resigns as Miami U.S. attorney; Eisenberg and Dhillon also depart
The Justice Department investigation into whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired against President Donald Trump has shown signs of faltering amid a spate of staff turnovers and delays.
Investigators in recent weeks have put off scheduled grand jury testimony of several witnesses, according to multiple people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. The postponements come as senior Justice Department officials depart in the wake of the midterm elections, among them Jason Reding Quiñones, the top federal prosecutor in Miami, whose resignation officials announced Friday.
Quiñones’ departure followed frustrations among Washington officials with his management of the office assigned to lead the so-called “grand conspiracy” investigation, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues.
Quiñones was confirmed by the Senate last year as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, where the Justice Department had centered the probe. Attorney General Todd Blanche said John Eisenberg, the department’s top national security official, resigned Friday as well. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced her departure Thursday after leading what the Associated Press described as a radical overhaul of the department’s Civil Rights Division.
Blanche, in a social media post, said the department is grateful for Quiñones’ “leadership in combating violent crime, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and transnational crime, including the indictment of Raúl Castro.” Castro, the former Cuban president, was indicted by Quiñones’ office in May on charges related to the 1996 downing of civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles.
Quiñones said Friday that he is leaving with “immense pride in what we accomplished together and profound gratitude for the opportunity to serve our great Nation.” “I am grateful to President Trump for his trust and to the extraordinary men and women of the great Southern District of Florida for their dedication, friendship, and unwavering commitment to justice and the rule of law,” Quiñones wrote in a social media post.
Eisenberg was sworn in as assistant attorney general in charge of the National Security Division in June 2025 and oversaw cases involving espionage, terrorism, export control violations, cyber crimes and other matters. Among the division’s most high-profile cases under his watch was the prosecution of former national security adviser John Bolton, who pleaded guilty this year to allegations of mishandling classified information and is awaiting sentencing. In a statement, Blanche said Eisenberg “served with distinction, strengthening our nation’s ability to address threats, both foreign and domestic.”
The “grand conspiracy” investigation has proceeded in fits and starts for over a year with repeated setbacks and departures. Last April, a lead national security prosecutor in the investigation of former CIA Director John Brennan was replaced on the team after raising questions about the strength of the case. Shortly afterward, Joseph diGenova, a former U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, took over the probe. DiGenova resigned from the Justice Department in September without bringing any criminal charges.