Justice Department Official Resigns Amid Election Investigation

Kurt Olsen, an opponent of the 2020 election outcome, resigned from the Justice Department. This information came from sources familiar with his exit, reported by CBS News. He was assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, working on a ‘grand conspiracy’ investigation. The focus of this investigation was on Obama- and Biden-era officials. Thus far, no charges emerged from this inquiry.

Efforts to reach Olsen for comments are underway. His departure follows Joe diGenova’s resignation earlier this month. DiGenova, appointed by Attorney General Todd Blanche, left due to disagreements with senior Justice Department officials over case management and pace.

Previously, Olsen served in the White House as a ‘Presidentially appointed Director of Election Security and Integrity.’ In 2020, he collaborated with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, attempting to challenge the election results at the Supreme Court level.

In 2022, the House Jan. 6 select committee subpoenaed Olsen. The committee was probing the events following the 2020 election. The subpoena claims that Olsen reached out to high-level Justice Department officials under presidential direction. They discussed filing election result challenges. Olsen communicated with President Trump on January 6, 2021.

He referred the Fulton County election case to the FBI, leading to a search warrant. This warrant resulted in the retrieval of numerous boxes of ballots and related materials from the 2020 election. Such actions were detailed in an FBI affidavit. Olsen made additional referrals related to the 2020 election to the Justice Department, a knowledgeable source noted.

Reports from CBS News indicated concerns among law enforcement veterans. They worry that the Trump-era Justice Department’s criminal investigation into certain individuals may involve politically motivated staff with partisan agendas.

Several prosecutors recently left the ‘grand conspiracy’ case team. However, a source mentioned that some attorneys were temporarily stationed there and have since returned to their original posts. The Justice Department has appointed two new former prosecutors to the investigative team.