Florida US Attorney Resigns After Trump Probe Stalls

A high-profile investigation into alleged efforts to undermine Donald Trump has lost its leader after Jason A. Reding Quiñones resigned as US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. His departure, announced Friday, November 6, 2026, followed growing tensions with Justice Department leadership over an investigation targeting former government officials.

Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the resignation on X, thanking Quiñones for his service. The departure came after Republicans suffered significant losses in the midterm elections, adding to a series of senior personnel changes within the Trump administration's Justice Department.

Blanche highlighted Quiñones' record in criminal enforcement, including an indictment against former Cuban president Raúl Castro.

"We are grateful for Jason’s leadership in combatting violent crime, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and transnational crime, including the indictment of Raúl Castro" and "served the Department multiple times over his distinguished career, and we thank him for his service to this country," said Todd Blanche, attorney general.

Quiñones also addressed his departure through social media, expressing satisfaction with his work at the department.

"With immense pride in what we accomplished together and profound gratitude for the opportunity to serve our great Nation," said Jason A. Reding Quiñones, former US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

His departure marks a significant setback for an investigation that sought to connect multiple federal inquiries involving Trump into an alleged broader conspiracy. Prosecutors examined actions dating back to the 2016 presidential campaign and attempted to establish connections with later investigations involving the president.

The inquiry also examined officials involved in investigations conducted between 2016 and 2024, including matters connected to former special counsel Jack Smith. Those investigations resulted in criminal charges against Trump over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and his handling of classified documents discovered during a 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago. Trump denied the allegations, and those charges were subsequently dismissed.

Despite the investigation's ambitions, prosecutors had not filed charges directly connected to the alleged conspiracy. According to CNN, Justice Department officials became frustrated after Quiñones indicated that his office could bring a case within months but failed to deliver the promised results.

His frequent trips outside Florida, particularly to Washington, DC, also drew scrutiny from department leadership. Officials reportedly viewed those activities as further evidence that the investigation had not progressed as expected.

Stacey Young, a former Justice Department attorney who leads Justice Connection, criticized the investigation and questioned its prospects.

"Jason Reding Quiñones will forever be known as this president’s Don Quixote for tilting at the windmill of the so-called grand conspiracy," said Stacey Young, adding that his "departure follows the well-tread path of others who signed up for this impossible dream."

Young also cited former Attorney General Robert Jackson's guidance on prosecutorial priorities when discussing the person who will inherit the position.

"The offense is the most flagrant, the public harm the greatest, and the proof the most certain," Young quoted Robert Jackson, former US attorney general, as advising prosecutors when selecting cases.

Quiñones' departure follows other significant exits within the department. Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Civil Rights Division, resigned Thursday after the division's unsuccessful effort to bring a case against former White House official Cassidy Hutchinson, a prominent witness for the January 6 committee.

John Eisenberg, who previously led the Justice Department's National Security Division, also announced his resignation Friday. Together with Quiñones and Dhillon, the departures bring the number of senior officials leaving their positions since the midterm elections to three.

The administration could face difficulties securing Senate confirmation for replacements because Democrats are positioned to control the chamber. However, Trump could appoint acting officials to fill leadership positions for the remainder of his term.

Joe diGenova, who previously worked under Quiñones in the Southern District of Florida, had resigned in September amid disagreements over the investigation. He said Justice Department headquarters had intervened in the office's work.

"Everybody was in their lane, and then some lanes got crossed, and then I decided to leave," said Joe diGenova, former official in the Southern District of Florida.

Separately, federal prosecutors are pursuing a case against former FBI Director James Comey over allegations involving an October 2016 disclosure of national defense information to a New York Times reporter by subordinates he allegedly authorized to speak with the newspaper.