Justice Department's Civil Division head resigns, the fourth official out since midterms
Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Brett Shumate's exit on Monday, and no immediate explanation was given.
Brett Shumate, the assistant who headed the 's Civil Division, resigned on Monday, Nov. 9. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced it on X. He credited the division with litigation against , settlements ending what he called "illegal corporate DEI practices," and the closing of dozens of clinics providing "gender affirming care" to minors. Shumate is the fourth top Justice Department official to leave since the elections.
Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Civil Rights Division, resigned on Thursday. John Eisenberg, head of the National Security Division, and Jason Reding Quiñones, for the Southern District of Florida, left on Friday. No immediate explanation for Shumate's departure was given, and the administration has not announced who will replace him.
It is unclear whether the administration will seek permanent -confirmed replacements before Republicans lose control of the Senate in January. The Independent reports that under Shumate the Civil Division offered signing bonuses of up to $25,000 to attract new lawyers.
- fourthJustice Department official to leave since Thursday, by UPI's countUPI
- up to $25,000signing bonuses the Civil Division offered new lawyers, per The IndependentThe Independent
Three sides of the story
12 news outlets reported this
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Liberal5 outlets
Trump administration exodus after Republican midterm defeat
ABC News calls it a "post-midterms shakeup" of the Justice Department and reports that Blanche announced the resignation in an X post praising Shumate's work. The Independent headlines "massive midterm losses," notes that no immediate explanation was given, and adds the $25,000 signing bonuses. The New Republic pairs the news with the resignation of White House deputy chief of staff Richard Walters.
It writes that it is "obvious" people are fleeing because of Stephen Miller's rise and the likelihood of facing a Democratic . The Daily Beast calls it a "growing Trump exodus" with the president now a lame duck. It reports "growing frustration" from Trump and Blanche over failures and recounts Blanche's CNN exchange with Dana Bash about investigating Democrats.
It also quotes Jamie Raskin, poised to chair the House Judiciary Committee, tying the Iran war and tariffs to corruption.
- ABC News: DOJ leadership shakeup continues as Civil Division chief steps down
- The Independent: DOJ sees fourth official step down within a week after massive GOP midterm losses
- The New Republic: Two More Top Officials Quit After Republican Wipeout This Election
- The Daily Beast: Top DOJ Official Jumps Ship in Growing Trump Exodus
Center2 outlets
The resignation and the four departures in sequence
UPI leads with the resignation itself, under the headline "Fourth Justice Department official resigns in less than a week." It quotes Blanche's X post crediting the division with litigation against sanctuary policies and with settlements ending what he called illegal corporate DEI practices. It then walks back through the earlier exits.
Quiñones, the U.S. attorney in Southern Florida, is described as the prosecutor leading the investigation of Trump's political enemies, which UPI labels in quotation marks as the "grand conspiracy" probe. UPI says Blanche also accepted Eisenberg's resignation the same Friday. It closes with Dhillon, who resigned Thursday as head of the Civil Rights Division, days after she sent more than 1,000 monitors to polling places around the country.
NewsNation, under the headline "Fourth DOJ official resigns within the span of a week," says Shumate, assistant attorney general for the Civil Division, resigned Monday.
Conservative5 outlets
Senate-confirmed Trump appointees leaving, reasons unclear
RedState calls it a DOJ "exodus" and says all four departing officials were Trump appointees confirmed by the Senate in 2025, which "raises questions" about the turnover. It reports that no explanation was given and no successor announced. It also notes Dhillon's work on antisemitism and DEI and Quiñones's oversight of sensitive investigations, including one involving John Brennan.
The Daily Mail headlines a "bluenami" and "MAGA staff exodus" and links the news to Stephen Miller taking over as White House chief of staff. It says Dhillon left to return to private practice in California and that it was told Quiñones was asked to resign. It adds that the Florida "grand conspiracy" probe appears to have "faltered."
Just the News runs a short report, citing ABC News, on Shumate joining Senate-confirmed leaders who have stepped down.
- Centrist outlets did not mentionStephen Miller becoming White House chief of staff Reported by The New Republic, The Daily Beast, Daily Mail
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- Shumate's place in the order of departures
- The Independent, ABC News: fourth official to leave
- Just the News: third to resign from a Senate-confirmed post
- Which division Shumate headed
- The Independent, ABC News: Civil Division
- Daily Mail: Civil Rights Division
All sources: 12 articles from 12 outlets
Liberal (5)
- ABC News: DOJ leadership shakeup continues as Civil Division chief steps down
- CBS News: Top lawyer in DOJ's Civil Division is latest in string of resignations
- The Daily Beast: Top DOJ Official Jumps Ship in Growing Trump Exodus
- The Independent: DOJ sees fourth official step down within a week after massive GOP midterm losses
- The New Republic: Two More Top Officials Quit After Republican Wipeout This Election
Center (2)
- NewsNation: Fourth DOJ official resigns within the span of a week
- UPI: Fourth Justice Department official resigns in less than a week
Conservative (5)
- Daily Mail: DOJ bleeds out as another top Trump official quits amid 'bluenami' MAGA staff exodus
- Just the News: Head of Justice Department's Civil Division steps down as exodus continues
- New York Post: Michael Goodwin: It’s Stephen Miller time in the Trump admin — threatened media and Dems are already spreading misinformation (opinion)
- RedState: DOJ Exodus Continues: Fourth High-Ranking Official Resigns in Less Than a Week
- The Epoch Times: Top DOJ Officials Join a Series of Resignations Following Midterms
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