One of President Trump’s aides who monitored the Department of Justice was reportedly banned from the department’s Washington headquarters after attempting to squeeze sensitive information out of department staff about election fraud.
Heidi Stirrup, an ally of Trump adviser Stephen Miller, was moved to the Justice Department some months ago but was told to leave the building after officials said she was trying to gather insider information regarding ongoing cases and the DOJ’s voter fraud investigations, three people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press.
Stirrup has also reportedly offered political allies positions “at some of the highest levels of the Justice Department” without authorization from senior officials or the White House. Officials said she violated the government’s human resources policies by attempting to interfere with hiring career personnel.
On Thursday, Stirrup was appointed to be a member of the U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors, according to a press release.
The news came days after Attorney General William Barr said the Justice Department found no evidence of widespread voter fraud, contradicting numerous claims made by the president and his legal team. Barr said the department had looked into a number of voter fraud claims and expressed frustration at “a growing tendency to use the criminal justice system as sort of a default fix-all” when people “don’t like something.”
Trump’s legal team said, “There hasn’t been any semblance of a Department of Justice investigation.”
Stirrup reportedly remains in her position at the Department of Justice despite being unable to access the facilities.
Others in Trump’s administration, including Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson, apparently share similar frustrations. Photographers captured writing on a page Carson was using during a speech in September that read, “I am not happy with the way PPO is handling my agency.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Stirrup, the Department of Justice, and the White House for further comment.
