‘Exodus’: Stunning NY Times Deep Dive Reveals More Than 10,000 Lawyers Have Left Trump Administration

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, left, and FBI Director Kash Patel, right, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice, on Monday April 27, 2026, in Washington, following the initial appearance in federal court of the suspected White House Correspondents Dinner gunman, Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

A stunning new report reveals that approximately one in five lawyers who worked in the federal government 18 months ago no longer do.

According to an in-depth New York Times feature Sunday — written by Andrea Fuller and Eileen Sullivan — the government has had a mass departure of attorneys across a number of agencies.

“President Trump’s upheaval of the federal government has led to an exodus of more than 10,000 lawyers since the beginning of 2025, a striking loss of legal talent that has left some agencies pushing to find attorneys to carry out his agenda,” Fuller and Sullivan wrote.

The reporters made clear that the turnover rate was far higher than the norm.

“The last year saw deep staffing cuts and the resignations of some staff members who objected to Mr. Trump’s policies,” Fuller and Sullivan wrote. “Their departures show how rapidly the president has eroded the image of the federal government as the gold standard for lawyers seeking public service roles.”

The Times analysis showed that more than 2,600 attorneys have left the DOJ, roughly 700 have left the Department of Defense, and nearly 300 have left the Department of Health. Further, some agencies have seen their ranks decimated. The Department of Education, for instance, has lost 53 percent of the 645 lawyers it employed at the end of 2024.

The Trump administration has made clear that ideological buy-in is a requirement for a position. In a January X post, Chad Mizelle — former Department of Justice chief of staff under Trump — solicited attorneys who are on board with the administration.

“If you are a lawyer, are interested in being an AUSA, and support President Trump and anti-crime agenda, DM me,” Mizelle wrote. “We need good prosecutors. And DOJ is hiring across the country. Now is your chance to join the mission and do good for our country.”

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