Kurt Olsen, known for his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results in favor of former President Trump, has resigned from the Department of Justice. Sources connected to his departure shared this with CBS News on Monday.
Olsen was engaged with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida. He worked on an investigation concerning a grand conspiracy involving officials from the Obama and Biden administrations, but this has not yet produced charges. CBS News has sought a comment from Olsen.
In early September, Joe diGenova, appointed by Attorney General Todd Blanche, also resigned. He disagreed with senior Justice Department officials over the management and progress of these cases.
Previously, Olsen served in the White House as a “Presidentially appointed Director of Election Security and Integrity,” according to the FBI. In 2020, he worked with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to encourage the Supreme Court to overturn the election results. The Justice Department has also been contacted by CBS News for further remarks.
In 2022, Olsen faced a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 select committee investigating events following the 2020 election. Allegations surfaced that he contacted high-level Department of Justice officials under the president’s directive to contest the election results. The committee claims Olsen communicated multiple times with Mr. Trump on January 6, 2021. He referred the Fulton County election case to the FBI, leading to a search warrant. This resulted in the seizure of numerous ballot boxes and related materials from the 2020 election, as revealed by an FBI affidavit.
A source with direct information indicated that Olsen made additional referrals related to the 2020 election to the Justice Department. Previous CBS News reports highlighted concerns among law enforcement veterans regarding potential political motivations behind the Trump Justice Department’s investigation into Brennan and others.
Olsen is among several prosecutors who left the grand conspiracy investigation team in recent days. One source noted some attorneys from out-of-state were on temporary assignments, which have now concluded, prompting their return to their original offices. The Justice Department has since brought in two new former prosecutors to support the investigative efforts, according to another source.