Miami US Attorney Instills Fear as Trump Enemy Probes Ramp Up

Miami’s US attorney is alarming staff with unconventional interrogation tactics to oust prosecutors, while warning the office about dishonesty and disobedience as he staffs up investigations of the president’s perceived enemies, according to multiple people familiar with the situation.

South Florida’s chief prosecutor Jason Reding Quiñones and his leadership team effectively forced resignations of two newcomer assistant US attorneys last week by ordering them to sign statements under criminal penalty of perjury, some of the individuals said.

They both chose to quit rather than disclose in writing—with the threat of being indicted over misstatements—the names of colleagues and others with whom they’d discussed their recent assignment to a national security unit expected to target those involved in past cases against President Donald Trump.

Word of the sworn statement demand, which several Justice Department veterans called an unprecedented breach of internal protocols for handling possible employee misconduct, rapidly spread through the South Florida office, which has already experienced prosecutor terminations and numerous resignations this year.

As their district becomes a potential epicenter for Trump-directed indictments, employee anxiety has escalated in recent days. Miami prosecutors are bracing to be called into Reding Quiñones’ office and directed to sign statements about their own conversations or be fired, added the people familiar with the office’s operations.

The two resigning prosecutors, both Republicans who started at the office in 2024, never communicated with the media or shared classified or top-secret information, the individuals said. Rather, they’d sought professional advice from more senior colleagues in and outside the office about whether to accept a politically charged assignment.

It’s not clear if Reding Quiñones would’ve retained them had they asked to stay on after refusing to sign the statement.

The two departed line prosecutors didn’t respond to requests for comment.

US attorneys and other department leaders who suspect prosecutors of ethics improprieties or crimes would ordinarily refer those matters to independent DOJ investigative bodies, like the Office of Professional Responsibility or Office of Inspector General, not handle the situation in-house, former department officials said.

Reding Quiñones and spokespeople for the Justice Department and US attorney’s office in Miami didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

‘Integrity Above All’

Following last week’s staff departures and media attention on the office’s cases through the weekend, Reding Quiñones raised new concerns in the office, some of the people said, with a Monday morning staff-wide email obtained by Bloomberg Law titled, “Integrity Above All.”

While mistakes are common for lawyers and can almost always be corrected, his message began, “what cannot be fixed is dishonesty. Any form of lying, to a colleague, to law enforcement, to opposing counsel, or to the Court, is incompatible with service in this Office,” Reding Quiñones wrote.

He called a meeting the same day for his entire entry-level prosecution team—the section where the two prosecutors who resigned had been employed. Reding Quiñones told prosecutors they’re expected to advance the cases they get assigned, suggesting there would be consequences for those who declined, several individuals familiar with the meeting said.

He didn’t specifically reference the grand jury investigation into a purported widespread conspiracy by past special counsel’s office investigators or the subpoenas Bloomberg News reported the office has moved to send to former US officials who probed Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.

Mass Exodus

The Nov. 10 meeting provided staff with rare face time with a boss who’s been closely linked to Attorney General Pam Bondi and others in Trump’s inner circle.

Since arriving in August as the first of US attorneys to be confirmed by the Senate this year, Reding Quiñones largely secluded himself from career employees and often traveled to Washington, said multiple people with knowledge of his schedule.

Reding Quiñones chose Bondi to administer his oath of office, spurning the tradition of chief judges for the Southern District of Florida swearing in Miami US attorneys.

Shortly after his return to the office where he’d once been a line prosecutor, Reding Quiñones informed supervisors they would need to re-apply for their positions and be evaluated for their alignment with his vision and DOJ priorities, according to an August email obtained by Bloomberg Law.

“Restore impartial justice” became his oft-repeated mission statement to the public and his employees, some of whom treated it as an accusation that they’d been part of the weaponized DOJ as alleged by Trump and his base.

He’s also told the office of plans to hire up to 100 prosecutors over the next year, a plan to offset a mass exodus that’s consistent with developments across the department since Trump retook the White House.

At least three respected Miami prosecutors were fired since the start of this administration, two of whom over ties to former Special Counsel Jack Smith in terminations that preceded Reding Quiñones’ term. These moves caused staff to feel unsupported by their leaders well before he took the helm, said lawyers close to the office.

Many office alums and area defense attorneys said that the widespread exits this year of experienced prosecutors has left the office unable to pursue its traditional role as a leader in sophisticated white-collar fraud and international narcotics cases.

But in the three months with Reding Quiñones in charge—and especially over the past week—the mood has further deteriorated, according to multiple individuals outside the office. The people said prosecutors are seeking to leave amid fears of what they characterize as a witch hunt, but have few options in a sluggish legal market.