Trump deep state conspiracy probe crumbles as top loyalist and election denier quits DOJ

Kurt Olsen, an attorney who backed Donald Trump's false claims about the 2020 election, has left the Justice Department's so-called "grand conspiracy" investigation, according to an anonymous person familiar with the matter. Olsen did not immediately answer a request for comment. His exit follows by a few weeks the departure of Joseph DiGenova, another Trump ally, from leadership of the Florida-based effort. DiGenova, 81, stepped down without having filed any criminal charges, and it remains unclear whether anyone will be indicted or what evidence supports the theory of a plot against the president, according to The Independent.

The inquiry has drawn on earlier federal matters involving Trump, among them the investigation of Russian interference in 2016 and the case over classified records kept at Mar-a-Lago. Prosecutors have sought testimony from officials tied to both. Earlier this month, a lawyer for former CIA Director John Brennan said Olsen had discussed with him a grand jury subpoena requiring Brennan to appear in Fort Pierce on Oct. 25, and had said Brennan remained a "target" in a separate, narrower false-statements inquiry.

Olsen had never worked as a Justice Department prosecutor, which made him an unusual pick for such a visible role. Before arriving at the department, he worked in the White House on election security. He earlier assisted Ken Paxton's failed Supreme Court bid to undo Joe Biden's victory and represented Kari Lake in her challenge to her 2022 Arizona defeat, during which Arizona courts sanctioned him for false statements.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →