Three Senior Justice Department Officials Resign After Republican Midterm Defeat in US

Three senior officials have resigned from the US Justice Department following a major setback for the Republican Party in the midterm elections and the loss of control of Congress. Among them are the head of the department's Civil Rights Division and a federal prosecutor involved in investigating conspiracy allegations against President Donald Trump.

US Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed that he had accepted the resignation of Harmeet Dhillon, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.

During her tenure, Dhillon had made a direct attempt this week to obtain voter registration lists from nearly 30 states ahead of the midterm elections but failed to secure them. The elections subsequently resulted in a major defeat for Trump's Republican Party.

According to US media reports, Dhillon stated in her resignation letter that she had submitted it in October and agreed to remain in office until the elections were over.

On Friday, Attorney General Todd Blanche also announced the resignations of Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg and Jason Reding Quiñones, the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

Quiñones had been overseeing an investigation into several former intelligence officials whom Trump accused of attempting to remove him from power.

Under Trump's administration, the Justice Department has pursued cases against several individuals perceived as political enemies of the president. Meanwhile, some government lawyers who were unwilling or unable to pursue those cases have reportedly been dismissed from their positions.

In one case brought by the Justice Department, former FBI Director James Comey was indicted in April. He was accused of threatening to kill Trump after posting a photograph on Instagram showing the numbers "86 47" written with seashells on a beach.

The resignations come amid growing changes within the Justice Department following the Republicans' electoral defeat, raising further questions about the future direction of the department under the Trump administration.