Not long after appointment of "pardon czar," Trump Administration fires Justice Department's Pardon Attorney

In a couple of recent posts (here and here) since Prez Trump's announcement that Alice Marie Johnson will serve as his "pardon czar"(see prior posts here and here), I have wondered aloud about how the work of the Justice Department's Pardon Attorney Liz Oyer might intersect with Johnson's work as the pardon czar.  But, as of late Friday as reported in this Reuters piece, Liz Oyer is no longer serving in this DOJ role:

President Donald Trump's administration on Friday fired at least two senior career officials at the U.S. Justice Department, including the head of the office that handles presidential pardon requests, according to a social media post and sources familiar with the matter.

Liz Oyer served as pardon attorney since 2022, a career Justice Department position. Oyer was fired "effective immediately," according to a memo she shared on LinkedIn, which cited Trump's executive authority under the U.S. Constitution.

Oyer's former office reviews requests for clemency from people convicted of federal offenses and makes recommendations to the White House on whom the president should pardon.

Bobak Talebian, the head of the Justice Department's Office of Information Policy, which handles public records requests under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, was also fired, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The moves mark the latest instance of the Trump administration removing or sidelining career Justice Department officials, who typically keep their positions across presidential administrations.

As of this writing, Oyer is still listed at the Pardon Attorney on DOJ's website, which leads me to wonder if this position is now technically vacant or if someone from DOJ Pardon Office now serves as "acting" Pardon Attorney until an official replacement is named.  In the end, whatever may be the future leadership and functioning in DOJ's Pardon Office may not matter much, if at all, because Prez Trump has never seemed too concerned with clemency recommendations coming from DOJ. 

Moverover, as detailed in this new New Yotk Times piece, headlined "Trump Allies Seek Pardons From an Emboldened White House," clemency pitches and debate is focused with the White House seemingly without any concern for DOJ input.   I recommend the lengthy Times piece in full, and here are excerpts: 

The process used by the pardon attorney’s office to identify and recommend applicants for clemency is intended to favor those who accept responsibility for their crimes and are unlikely to reoffend.

Presidents are under no obligation to act on the office’s recommendations in extending second chances through pardons, which wipe out convictions, and through commutations, which reduce prison sentences.

According to people familiar with the matter, Mr. Trump’s White House had marginalized the pardon attorney’s office, shifting control of much of the clemency operation to the White House Counsel’s Office.

On Friday evening, Elizabeth G. Oyer, who had been the U.S. pardon attorney since being appointed in 2022 during the Biden administration, said on social media that she had been fired from the post by Todd Blanche, the newly confirmed deputy attorney general.

Even before her firing, a senior White House official said in an interview that “the White House Counsel’s Office is the one handling all clemency petitions.”

Among the White House officials involved are Sean Hayes, who worked for Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, and Gary Lawkowski, who served as deputy general counsel for Mr. Trump’s 2024 campaign.  

Prior recent related posts:

• Prez Trump reportedly to name Alice Marie Johnson as his "pardon czar"
• Prez Trump formally announces Alice Marie Johnson will be his "pardon czar" 
• Wide praise, but uncertain plans, for Prez Trump's new pardon czar
• Still more (not quite constructive) criticisms of recent federal clemency developments