Pam Bondi Fires Justice Department Employee For 'Inappropriate' Conduct At National Guard

(MENAFN- Live Mint) U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday fired a Department of Justice employee after she made an obscene gesture toward National Guard members stationed in Washington, D.C., while on her way to work.

The employee, identified as Elizabeth Baxter, was a paralegal in the DOJ's environmental defence section, according to a memo obtained by the New York Post, which first reported the firing, as reported by Reuters.

“Based on your inappropriate conduct towards National Guard service members, your employment with the Department of Justice is hereby terminated, and you are removed from federal service effective immediately,” Bondi wrote in the memo.

The official memo. (Source: New York Post)

DOJ spokesperson Chad Gilmartin shared the story on X and confirmed the reporting. Another spokesperson, Gates McGarvick, also reposted it, writing:“Very simple: if you don't support law enforcement, @AGPamBondi's DOJ might not be a good fit.”

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Reuters could not immediately contact Baxter, who the New York Post said had raised her middle finger and uttered vulgarities at National Guard members on August 18 and later disparaged the troops.

President Donald Trump deployed hundreds of National Guard members to the streets of Washington this month, declaring a crime emergency and announcing a temporary federal takeover of the city's police department.

In June, Trump, a Republican, ordered Marines and National Guard troops to Los Angeles and has threatened to send troops and federal officials to Chicago, against the wishes of Democratic governors of California and Illinois.

The president has portrayed the nation's capital as a city awash in crime, although Justice Department data shows violent crime hit a 30-year low last year in Washington, a self-governing federal district under the jurisdiction of Congress.

The US government also sent agents from multiple federal agencies, including the FBI, to patrol the streets of the capital.

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After a legal challenge from the city's attorney general, the Trump administration reached an agreement with Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser to allow Police Chief Pamela Smith to remain in charge of department operations.

Although the deployment of the National Guard to Washington, D.C., has faced criticism, including from some Democrats, Trump and his allies have cited a drop in crime as evidence that the move has been effective.

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"DC will soon be a CRIME FREE ZONE, in only 14 days, far faster than scheduled," Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday.

(This is a breaking news)

(With inputs from Reuters)

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