ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
The Justice Department is escalating its campaign against people Trump considers his political enemies. A federal grand jury this week issued subpoenas to New York's Democratic attorney general, and the DOJ forced out longtime FBI agents who had ties to January 6 Capitol riot cases and probes of Donald Trump. NPR Justice correspondent Carrie Johnson is here in the studio to explain. Hi, Carrie.
CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE: Hi there.
SHAPIRO: To start with that news about Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, what happened?
JOHNSON: She received subpoenas this week from a federal grand jury based in Albany, New York. That's according to two sources familiar with the move who could not speak openly because of the ongoing investigation. DOJ appears to be looking at the case James brought against Donald Trump, his adult children and their business over civil fraud allegations. The New York attorney general won more than $450 million in that case. Now the Justice Department is asking whether she may have deprived Trump or his children of their rights.
Abbe Lowell is a lawyer for Tish James. He calls this a, quote, "blatant and desperate example of how this administration is carrying out Trump's campaign of retribution." Lowell says this is weaponizing the DOJ to try to punish an elected official for doing her job.
SHAPIRO: And that was not the only development involving New York's attorney general. What else happened at the Justice Department?
JOHNSON: This morning, Fox broke the news that Ed Martin had been named as a special prosecutor to help conduct investigations of alleged mortgage fraud by Tish James and, separately, by California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff. He played a prominent role in the impeachment of Donald Trump during his first term. A source who was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed that report to NPR.
Now, Ed Martin's name may be familiar because he served as U.S. attorney here in D.C. for a while, but he could not get permanently confirmed for that job. Even Republican senators worried about his support for people who rioted at the Capitol on January 6. Now Ed Martin is in charge of the so-called weaponization group at DOJ, and he's been helping carry out investigations of two prominent Democrats who have been frequent critics of the president.
SHAPIRO: You have also been reporting on some departures from the FBI this week. What's happening there?
JOHNSON: Yes, earlier today, Brian Driscoll left the FBI. He was let go earlier this week for unknown reasons. He briefly served as the acting director of the FBI earlier this year. That's when he resisted turning over a list of agents and analysts who worked on January 6 cases to the White House. Driscoll also led the critical incident group that responded to major events. He worked on a SWAT team, and he had won awards for bravery and valor. In a message to colleagues, he said working with them had been the honor of his life, and he had no regrets.
Two other FBI officials lost their jobs this week. One was Steve Jensen, who had been running the Washington Field Office. The FBI Agents Association says it believes firing these agents without due process has made the country less safe. Democrats on Capitol Hill pointed out the new FBI director, Kash Patel, had promised not to carry out purges before he was confirmed for that job, but people inside the FBI said, they're basically steeled for more terminations and more of the retribution that Trump promised on the campaign trail.
SHAPIRO: That is NPR's Carrie Johnson. Thank you.
JOHNSON: My pleasure. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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