She cited an improper demand by Trump administration officials to freeze assets and launch a criminal investigation into a Biden administration contract.
February 19, 2025

Denise Cheung, a career prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., resigned yesterday, citing an improper demand by Trump administration officials to freeze assets and launch a criminal investigation into a Biden administration EPA contract. Via The New Republic:

Cheung said that she was ordered to investigate a government contract awarded under the Biden administration, and to begin the process to freeze the recipient’s assets. Neither request was supported by the evidence that was provided to the Deputy Attorney General’s Office, Cheung wrote in a letter to the interim head of the office, Ed Martin. Reuters reviewed a copy of the letter.

Cheung was in charge of the criminal division within the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and her resignation comes one day after Trump nominated Martin as the permanent head of the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office. Martin was an organizer for the “Stop the Steal” movement and the defense attorney for three of the January 6 rioters. He announced last month he would investigate the office’s handling of the Capitol riots.

Martin said this week he would investigate Jack Smith and a law firm that supposedly gave Smith free legal services. Meanwhile, Martin has also threatened to go after anyone who tries to hinder Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency efforts. He seems nice!

Can you help us out?

For over 20 years we have been exposing Washington lies and untangling media deceit, but social media is limiting our ability to attract new readers. Please give a one-time or recurring donation, or buy a year's subscription for an ad-free experience. Thank you.

Discussion

We welcome relevant, respectful comments. Any comments that are sexist or in any other way deemed hateful by our staff will be deleted and constitute grounds for a ban from posting on the site. Please refer to our Terms of Service for information on our posting policy.
Mastodon