Trump DOJ appointee who led ‘grand conspiracy’ probe into POTUS' investigators resigns
WASHINGTON, DC: Jason A Reding Quinones, US attorney for the Southern District of Florida, has stepped down. He led the so-called “grand conspiracy” investigation into law enforcement officials tied to earlier probes of President Donald Trump.
Attorney General Todd Blanche shared the news on X on Nov 6. This is just the latest in a wave of high-profile resignations at the Justice Department this week, all coming after Republicans’ losses in the midterm elections.
Reding Quinones’s investigation focused on events from over ten years ago. His team operated under the idea that different Trump investigations connected back to a single, coordinated effort, one aimed at violating Trump’s rights. Still, no direct charges followed from this theory.
Todd Blanche and Jason Reding Quinones on the departure
Blanche said they were “grateful for Jason’s leadership in combating violent crime, d**g tr**ficking, s*x tr**ficking, and transnational crime, including the indictment of Raul Castro” and that he had “served the Department multiple times over his distinguished career, and we thank him for his service to this country.”
United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason Reding Quiñones submitted his resignation from the Department of Justice. We are grateful for Jason’s leadership in combatting violent crime, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and transnational crime, including the indictment of Raúl Castro. Jason has served the Department multiple times over his distinguished career, and we thank him for his service to this country.
— Attorney General Todd Blanche (@AGToddBlanche) November 6, 2026
In his own post, Reding Quinones wrote that he was leaving “with immense pride in what we accomplished together and profound gratitude for the opportunity to serve our great Nation.”
I submitted my resignation to the President as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, effective today. From serving our Nation in uniform to serving at the Department of Justice and on the bench, public service has been the honor of my lifetime. But leading the U.S. Attorney’s Office in my home district has been especially meaningful. I am grateful to President Trump for his trust and to the extraordinary men and women of the great Southern District of Florida for their dedication, friendship, and unwavering commitment to justice and the rule of law. It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve alongside them and our law enforcement officers who work tirelessly to keep our communities safe. I leave with immense pride in what we accomplished together and profound gratitude for the opportunity to serve our great Nation. God bless America. 🇺🇸
— U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones (@USAReding) November 6, 2026
The investigation tried to connect Trump’s actions during the 2016 campaign to Jack Smith’s more recent inquiry. Smith’s investigation led to charges against Trump for trying to overturn the 2020 election and mishandling classified documents at Mar-a-Lago in 2022, though those charges ended up being dismissed. Trump flatly denied all of it.
Joe diGenova, who worked under Reding Quinones in that district, quit in September. He said people from the Justice Department’s main office showed up and started trying to run the investigation themselves. “Everyone was sticking to their own roles, but then things started to overlap, so I left,” diGenova told NBC News.
Stacey Young, a former Justice Department lawyer who heads the group Justice Connection, said that “Jason Reding Quñiones will forever be known as this president’s Don Quixote for tilting at the windmill of the so-called grand conspiracy,” and that his “departure follows the well-tread path of others who signed up for this impossible dream.”
Other resignations this week
Two more senior officials stepped down as well. Harmeet Dhillon, who led the Civil Rights Division, resigned on Thursday. Her team tried to pursue a case against former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, but the grand jury refused to indict. Dhillon’s division also drove the department’s efforts on noncitizen voting, an issue Trump often mentioned before the election. Then on Friday, John Eisenberg, head of the National Security Division, resigned too, according to Blanche.
A third official, National Security Division chief John Eisenberg, also resigned Friday, Blanche announced.
Federal prosecutors are also seeking to bring a case against former FBI Director James Comey over conduct that allegedly happened in October 2016, when the government claims he authorized subordinates to speak to a New York Times reporter about national defense information.
