The head of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington — one of the Justice Department’s most powerful prosecuting offices — abruptly resigned Tuesday for reasons that remain unclear.
Denise Cheung, who has worked in the office since 2000, informed colleagues of her departure in an email sent Tuesday morning.
“I took an oath of office to support and defend the Constitution, and I have executed this duty faithfully during my tenure, which has spanned through numerous Administrations,” Cheung wrote to colleagues, urging them to “fulfill your commitment to pursuing Justice without fear or prejudice.”
Cheung’s departure, first reported by CNN, comes as President Donald Trump seeks to elevate the office’s temporary leader — interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin — to the post permanently. Martin, a leader of the pro-Trump 2020 “Stop the Steal” efforts, who has advocated for Jan. 6 defendants and espoused conspiracy theories about the violent attack on the Capitol, oversaw the dismissal of hundreds of Jan. 6 cases in Trump’s first weeks in office. He has also publicly revealed investigations he says the office is undertaking, a break from Justice Department policies about commenting on ongoing probes.
Her departure also comes amid broader turmoil at the Justice Department, including the summary termination of prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases and questions about DOJ leaders’ intention for thousands of FBI agents and employees who worked on those cases.
It also comes amid resignations from the government’s Public Integrity Division and the Manhattan-based prosecutors’ office over DOJ leaders’ decision to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
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