What did Kurt Olsen do at the Justice Department before he resigned?

1. What is known about Olsen’s resignation

There, he worked on a probe examining whether officials involved in earlier investigations of Trump conspired against him. Those earlier matters included inquiries related to Russian election interference and classified documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property.

AP reported that, before resigning, Olsen had discussed Oct. 25 as a date for former CIA Director John Brennan’s grand-jury testimony. The reported discussion does not establish whether the testimony will take place. It also does not mean Brennan has been charged.

Olsen did not immediately comment. CBS said it sought comment from Olsen and the Justice Department. Neither outlet reported an explanation for his departure.

2. Olsen’s election work and referrals

Olsen worked with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on a bid asking the Supreme Court to overturn the 2020 election result. He backed Trump’s false claims about that election. Those actions predated his Justice Department assignment; they do not explain why he resigned.

In 2022, the House Jan. 6 committee subpoenaed Olsen. CBS reported that the subpoena alleged he had contacted Justice Department officials about challenges to the election at Trump’s direction. That was the committee’s allegation, not a finding about Olsen’s later work at the department.

Euronews reported that Olsen also represented Kari Lake in her effort to overturn her loss in the 2022 Arizona governor’s race, and that Arizona courts sanctioned him over false statements. That record helps explain scrutiny of his role in federal election matters, but it supplies no reported reason for his resignation.

CBS also reported, citing a source with direct knowledge, that Olsen made other election-related referrals. The available reports do not establish those referrals’ status or evidentiary basis.

3. The probe continued after an earlier departure

Olsen is the second lawyer associated with the investigation to resign in September. Joseph diGenova had stepped down from leading it earlier in the month. AP reported before Olsen’s departure that prosecutors continued pursuing subpoenas after diGenova left, while it remained unclear who, if anyone, might be charged.

CBS reported that some out-of-state attorneys returned to their home offices when their temporary assignments ended; their departures were not reported as resignations. A source familiar with staffing told CBS that the department had hired two former prosecutors to join the investigation. That account did not identify who would direct it after Olsen left.

The earlier subpoenas show that work continued after diGenova’s departure. They do not establish whether Olsen’s exit will affect the probe, and his resignation does not by itself show a change in its direction. Nor do the reports say whether his election-related referrals will proceed. The department’s next staffing decisions, and any account it gives of the referrals, could answer questions the resignation alone cannot.