WASHINGTON (AP) — A lawyer who supported President Donald Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election has resigned from a Justice Department investigation into whether former government officials conspired against the Republican president, a person familiar with the matter said Monday.
Kurt Olsen’s resignation from so-called “grand conspiracy” investigation represents yet another upheaval in a winding investigation that has proceeded in fits and starts since its beginning as prosecutors pursue an ill-defined right-wing theory of a conspiracy against Trump. This comes just weeks after the departure of another Trump ally, Joseph DiGenovawho headed the closely watched investigation in Florida.
The person who confirmed Olsen’s resignation spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters. Olsen did not immediately respond to an email Monday.
Olsen’s prominence as an election denier raised his profile in Trump’s orbit, but his lack of experience as a Justice Department prosecutor made him an unconventional choice for such a high-profile investigation.
Investigators have focused their attention on several major investigations into Trump, including the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election and his keeping of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida, and have demanded testimony from those responsible for both investigations as they search for any signs of a potential plot to disenfranchise Trump.
Olsen’s role in the investigation was highlighted earlier this month when an attorney for former CIA Director John Brennan revealed that he had discussed with Olsen a subpoena compelling Brennan to testify before the Fort Pierce grand jury on Oct. 25. Wainstein said Olsen told him that Brennan also remained a “target” of a closer investigation into the false claims.
It’s the latest sign of upheaval in the year-long investigation into the plot. Last April, a senior national security prosecutor in the investigation Brennan was replaced on the team after raising questions about the strength of the case. A few days later, diGenova was sworn in.
DiGenova, 81, served as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia during the Reagan administration and has been a top Trump ally for years, notably by supporting his efforts to overturn his 2020 electoral defeat and repeatedly and publicly asserting that the president was the victim of an intelligence community conspiracy.
DiGenova resigned earlier this month without filing a single criminal case. It remains unclear whether this will be the case, or what information was gathered to support the idea of a conspiracy against Trump by the government officials who investigated him.
Olsen, who unsuccessfully pushed the Ministry of Justice in 2020 to support the president’s false claims, joined the Justice Department a few months ago after taking a job at the White House as director of election security and integrity.
Olsen helped Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launch a long-running effort to get the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 victory and later represented Kari Lake in her attempt to overturn his defeat in the 2022 Arizona governor’s race. Arizona courts sanctioned Olsen for making false statements in that case.
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