Senior US Prosecutor Steps Down Following Request to Investigate Biden-Era Contract

A senior prosecutor for the U.S. government resigned on February 18 after allegedly being instructed to initiate an investigation into a contract that was awarded during President Joe Biden’s time in office.

Denise Cheung left her position as the head of the Criminal Division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

In her resignation letter addressed to Ed Martin, the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Cheung revealed that she had been ordered by the Trump administration to investigate a government contract awarded during the Biden administration and to seek a freeze on the recipient’s assets.

Cheung characterized the request—allegedly originating from acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove—as inappropriate and lacking in evidence.

Details regarding the specific agency involved in the contract and the entity that received it were not disclosed by Cheung.

“I have been honored to serve at the U.S. Department of Justice and this office for over 24 years,” Cheung noted in her letter.

“Throughout my career, which has included many different administrations, I have consistently been guided by the oath I took … to support and defend the Constitution.”

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia declined to provide comments.

The deputy attorney general’s office did not respond to a request for information.

Cheung has not been available for comments.

She is the most recent official from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to resign since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s administration in January.

Danielle Sassoon, the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, recently stepped down after refusing to comply with a directive from Bove ordering the dismissal of criminal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Both Sassoon and Hagan Scotten, a colleague from the same office, cited their disagreement with the directive as their reason for leaving.

“As the law does not support a dismissal, and because I am certain that Adams has perpetrated the crimes he is charged with, I cannot agree to pursue a dismissal influenced by improper motives,” Sassoon stated.

Bove has contended that the charges, which were filed in late 2024 while Biden was still president, should be dismissed partly because they hindered the mayor’s ability to lead New York City, including addressing issues related to illegal immigration.

John Keller, who currently acts as the head of the DOJ’s public corruption unit, along with Kevin Driscoll, a senior position within the DOJ’s criminal division, have also recently resigned following Bove’s directive.

The reasons behind their resignations remain undisclosed. Keller has refrained from commenting, and Driscoll has not been reachable for comments.

Reuters contributed to this report.