Former Florida federal prosecutor sues DOJ, says he was fired over past Trump criticism
Photo taken on Aug. 11, 2022 shows the U.S. Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C., the United States. The U.S. Department of Justice DOJ filed a motion on Thursday to unseal the search warrant for former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-La
WASHINGTON - A former federal prosecutor in South Florida is suing the Justice Department, alleging he was fired because of comments he made about President Donald Trump years before joining the government.
Will Rosenzweig says his termination violated his First Amendment rights and is seeking reinstatement and backpay.
What we know:
Rosenzweig filed the lawsuit Friday in federal court in Miami, where he worked as a federal prosecutor for five years. He was fired in September 2025, about two weeks before he was scheduled to try a multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud case.
According to the lawsuit, Rosenzweig learned of his termination less than three hours after conservative political commentator Natalie Winters publicized posts from a blog he had written years earlier as a private citizen. Winters also posted a screenshot of his LinkedIn account and tagged senior Justice Department officials.
Rosenzweig received an email signed by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi informing him that he had been fired, according to the complaint. He was out of town with his family observing Rosh Hashana at the time.
The Justice Department declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.
The backstory:
Rosenzweig's blog had been inactive for more than six years by the time he was fired, according to the lawsuit. It included posts about travel, sports and other topics, as well as criticism of Trump and other political candidates.
The complaint says Winters characterized Rosenzweig as a "rogue Trump hater" while sharing screenshots of some of his past political commentary.
Rosenzweig's lawyers contend he was a highly regarded prosecutor who received consistent praise and awards. According to the lawsuit, officials told him just weeks before his firing that he would receive a special parking spot because of his performance.
Big picture view:
Rosenzweig's firing came amid broader personnel changes at the Justice Department during the Trump administration. Prosecutors who worked on investigations involving Trump and other employees viewed as being at odds with the administration have been dismissed.
Rosenzweig's lawsuit focuses on a broader constitutional question: whether the government can terminate an employee because of political views the employee expressed as a private citizen before entering federal service.
The lawsuit argues that doing so would effectively require prospective government employees to choose between exercising their free speech rights and preserving their eligibility for future public employment.
What we don't know:
The Justice Department has not publicly provided its detailed legal justification for Rosenzweig's firing. A department spokeswoman declined to comment because the case is pending.
The allegations in Rosenzweig's complaint also have not yet been tested in court, and it remains unclear how the Justice Department will respond to his claims that his termination was based on constitutionally protected speech.
Timeline:
Rosenzweig maintained the blog before becoming a federal prosecutor, and it had been inactive for more than six years when the controversy emerged.
In September 2025, Winters publicized some of his previous political comments and tagged senior Justice Department officials. Less than three hours later, Rosenzweig received the email informing him that he had been fired, according to the lawsuit.
At the time, Rosenzweig was about two weeks away from trying a multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud case.
On Friday, Rosenzweig sued the Justice Department in federal court in Miami, seeking reinstatement, backpay and a declaration that his termination was unlawful.
What they're saying:
Rosenzweig's attorneys, Margaret Donovan, Daniel Fridman and Adam Fels, said their client had successfully prosecuted health care fraud cases before his dismissal.
"Will Rosenzweig was an excellent prosecutor who returned millions of dollars to the taxpayers by prosecuting healthcare fraud cases," they said in a statement.
His attorneys allege the Justice Department fired Rosenzweig because of political views he expressed long before his dismissal.
"Yet the Department of Justice fired him on the eve of trial because, years ago as a private citizen, he published criticisms of President Trump," they said.
The lawsuit argues that allowing such a dismissal to stand could have broader consequences for government employees and prospective public servants.
"The Department's conduct rests on a single premise: a citizen must forever refrain from criticizing the government and its leaders to remain eligible to serve it," the complaint says.
The Justice Department declined to comment, citing pending litigation.
The Source: This story was written based on reporting by the Associated Press.