The senior ethics attorney at the US Department of Justice (DoJ) was fired without explanation after a series of clashes with Attorney General Pam Bondi over her acceptance of gifts and event tickets, raising serious questions about political influence over non-partisan civil servants.
Sudden Dismissal of a Career Official
Joseph Tirrell was on holiday on 11 July when he received an email on his personal account informing him he was being terminated from his role as the DoJ's top ethics official. The notice, signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi, offered no reason for his dismissal and even misspelled his first name as 'Jospeh'.
Tirrell, who had served the federal government since 2006, initially joined the FBI as an ethics lawyer before moving to the Justice Department in 2018. His responsibilities included overseeing ethics compliance across the entire agency and training its most senior officers, including the attorney general herself.
His firing is part of a wider pattern this year that has seen scores of career federal employees dismissed without cause. Those affected include prosecutors working on January 6 cases, FBI agents involved in the 2020 racial justice protests, and staff who worked under Special Counsel Jack Smith.
Contentious Ethics Training and Gift Disputes
When Tirrell conducted ethics training for Bondi, he prepared for complex topics like the Hatch Act and her prior work for Donald Trump. Instead, he found the session dominated by a seemingly minor question: whether the attorney general could accept commemorative 'challenge coins' from subordinates.
"We spent more time than I thought was warranted on something, in frankly my view unimportant," Tirrell stated, noting a preoccupation with the appearance of receiving gifts.
This focus manifested in several specific cases. Early in the administration, Bondi received a box of cigars from mixed martial artist Conor McGregor, congratulating her on her new role. The gift's value exceeded ethics limits, requiring her to either pay for it, return it, or destroy it.
"Immediately I got the sense they were reluctant to send things back or destroy stuff," Tirrell recalled. He eventually devised a compromise where the cigars would be displayed publicly, preventing personal benefit.
Similarly, Bondi received a scarf and a 2025 FIFA World Cup soccer ball from the football governing body. Again, Tirrell advised the items' value breached ethics rules. A DoJ official later stated the soccer ball was accepted as a departmental gift.
The FIFA Ticket Controversy and Abrupt Termination
The situation escalated when Tirrell learned Bondi was likely invited to the FIFA Club World Cup final in July 2025. He pre-emptively advised her office that ethics rules prohibited accepting tickets to the event.
Bondi's office pressed further, asking if attendance would be permissible if the president was present and had security questions. Tirrell responded that she could briefly address such queries but should not stay for the game.
He delivered this advice the week before his firing. Merely two days after receiving his dismissal notice, Bondi was photographed attending the match with former President Donald Trump.
"Maybe the attorney general paid for that ticket... Maybe she sat in that box seat... answering security questions. But, you know, come on, I know that's not the case," Tirrell remarked sceptically.
A Justice Department official countered that career ethics officials are regularly consulted and their advice is never overruled.
A Culture of Fear and Political Messaging
Tirrell believes his firing was intended to send a clear message to other career officials. "I think the reason to fire the senior ethics attorney at DoJ is pretty clear. It's to send a message," he said. "The message is: 'Do what we tell you to do, or you'll lose your job.'"
He also raised concerns about a proposed plan to use hundreds of millions in pro-bono pledges from private law firms. Tirrell immediately identified ethical conflicts, describing the proposal as a "non-starter" that violated fundamental bar rules. A DoJ spokesperson has since denied any such proposal is under consideration.
For Tirrell, who dreamed of government service since age 15 and served in the US Navy, the dismissal marks a painful end to a cherished career. He is now suing the Department of Justice over his termination.
The case highlights growing tensions between political appointees and the non-partisan civil service, with experts warning that such firings create a dangerous environment where officials fear performing their duties impartially.
