Second prosecutor resigns from Justice Department 'grand conspiracy'
probe targeting Trump foes
[September 29, 2026]
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER
WASHINGTON (AP) — A lawyer who backed President Donald Trump’s false
2020 election claims has resigned from a Justice Department
investigation into whether former government officials conspired against
the Republican president, a person familiar with the matter said on
Monday.
Kurt Olsen's resignation from the so-called “grand conspiracy" probe
represents further turmoil in a meandering investigation that has
proceeded in fits and starts since its inception as prosecutors pursue
an ill-defined right-wing theory of a conspiracy against Trump. It comes
just weeks after the departure of another Trump ally, Joseph diGenova,
who had been leading the closely watched investigation in Florida.
The person who confirmed Olsen's resignation spoke on the condition of
anonymity to discuss personnel matters. Olsen didn't immediately respond
to an email on Monday.
Olsen’s prominence as an election denier elevated his profile in the
Trump orbit, but his absence of experience as a Justice Department
prosecutor made him an unconventional pick for such a high-profile
investigation.
Investigators have focused attention on multiple major investigations of
Trump, including the probe into Russian interference in the 2016
election and his retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago
estate in Florida, and have demanded testimony from officials from both
of those probes as they search for any signs of a potential conspiracy
to deprive Trump of his rights.
Olsen’s role in the investigation came into focus 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 grand jury in Fort Pierce on Oct. 25. Wainstein said Olsen told him
that Brennan also remains a “target” of a narrower false statements
investigation.
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It's the latest sign of upheaval in the yearlong conspiracy
investigation. Last April, a lead national security prosecutor in
the Brennan investigation was replaced on the team after raising
questions about the strength of the case. Days later, diGenova was
sworn in.
The 81-year-old diGenova served as the U.S. attorney for the
District of Columbia during the Reagan administration and for years
has been a prominent Trump ally, including backing his efforts to
overturn his 2020 election loss and publicly and repeatedly claiming
that the president was the victim of an intelligence community
conspiracy.
DiGenova resigned earlier this month without bringing a single
criminal case. It remains unclear whether any will be, or what
information has been gathered to support any basis for the idea of a
plot against Trump by the government officials who investigated him.
Olsen, who unsuccessfully pushed the Justice Department in 2020 to
back the president’s false claims, joined the Justice Department
months ago after serving in a White House post as director of
election security and integrity.
Olsen helped Texas’ Republican attorney general, Ken Paxton, launch
a longshot bid to get the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Joe Biden’s
2020 win and later represented Kari Lake during her attempt to
overturn her loss in the 2022 Arizona governor’s race. Arizona
courts sanctioned Olsen for making false statements in that case.
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