The top criminal prosecutor in the Washington, DC, US Attorney’s Office, Denise Cheung, has resigned following a dispute with her Trump-appointed superiors. Cheung declined a request to open a grand jury investigation that she deemed premature, leading to her resignation.
The directive came from Emil Bove, the department’s acting deputy attorney general, to Ed Martin, the nominee for the permanent DC US Attorney position. Cheung, a long-time DOJ employee, was asked to lead an investigation into an Environmental Protection Agency funding decision during the Biden administration.
Cheung's refusal was based on her belief that there was insufficient evidence to proceed at that time and a desire to protect lower-level prosecutors from undue work. The Trump administration has been critical of Biden's environmental spending, with EPA administrator Lee Zeldin claiming to have discovered $20 billion in funding from Biden's climate law.
Zeldin alleged that the funding was hastily distributed to non-profits at the end of the Biden administration, but a former EPA official denied any wrongdoing. Cheung bid farewell to her colleagues in an office-wide message without publicly stating her reasons for leaving.
Cheung's resignation comes amidst broader turmoil within the DOJ, with clashes between political appointees and career prosecutors. Bove recently clashed with prosecutors over the dismissal of charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Martin, set to lead the DC US Attorney’s Office, has supported revisiting January 6 criminal cases and the handling of felony obstruction charges.
In her farewell email, Cheung emphasized the importance of upholding the Constitution and integrity in their work. The situation highlights the ongoing tensions within the DOJ and the challenges faced by prosecutors navigating political pressures.
