--- title: "Prosecutor Who Sought a 'Conspiracy' Against Trump Steps Down: High-Profile Case Left Without a Lead" description: "U.S. prosecutor Joseph Digenova, who headed the investigation into a 'conspiracy' against Trump, has announced his resignation. The case led to no charges, and his departure leaves the investigation in uncertainty." date: 2026-09-11T07:52:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/digenova-resignation-investigation-against-trump tags: [joseph-digenova, trump-investigation, us-justice-department, mar-a-lago, political-prosecution, fbi] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Prosecutor Who Sought a 'Conspiracy' Against Trump Steps Down: High-Profile Case Left Without a Lead ![Former US special prosecutor in a pinstripe suit against the American flag backdrop after stepping down as lead of the Trump conspiracy case](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/11/digenova-otstavka-rassledovanie-protiv-trampa/digenova-otstavka-rassledovanie-protiv-trampa-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - U.S. prosecutor Joseph Digenova announced his resignation from leading the investigation into a 'conspiracy' against Trump, without revealing the reasons - The investigation covered the 2017 Russia case and the cases of special counsel Jack Smith, but led to no charges - Lawyers doubt the jurisdiction of a Florida court, since a significant part of the events took place in Washington and Virginia - The investigation is part of broader U.S. Department of Justice efforts against the president's opponents U.S. prosecutor Joseph Digenova, who headed a sweeping investigation aimed at Donald Trump's opponents, has announced his resignation. He told the Reuters news agency of his departure without revealing the reasons behind it. "It was an honor and a privilege to serve the president and the department," Digenova said, declining further comment. His departure leaves one of the most high-profile cases in American jurisdiction in a state of deep uncertainty. ### Who Is Joseph Digenova and Why He Took the Lead on the Investigation Digenova is a longtime ally of President Trump and a former U.S. Attorney in Washington during the Ronald Reagan administration. In April 2026, he joined the Department of Justice to head an investigation based in Florida. Since his appointment, he has consistently repeated the president's claims that the Russia case was a politically motivated attempt to harm Trump. ### What Exactly Was Under Investigation The investigation covered several key areas. First, it examined the 2017 U.S. intelligence assessment that Russia had attempted to support Trump's first presidential campaign in 2016. Second, it brought into focus the cases of former special counsel Jack Smith — over Trump's retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and over attempts to contest the results of the 2020 election. The investigation's stated objective was to prove that the president had been the victim of a prolonged criminal conspiracy by his political opponents. ### Results and Legal Obstacles Despite extensive efforts, the investigation did not lead to any criminal charges. Investigators interviewed current and former intelligence officials, and in recent weeks attempted to question FBI officials involved in the 2022 Mar-a-Lago search. At the same time, a number of lawyers have expressed doubt as to whether prosecutors can even bring a case in Florida, given that a significant portion of the Russia-related investigation took place in Washington and Virginia. ### Broader Context: Pressure on Opponents Digenova's investigation is part of broader Department of Justice efforts directed against the president's likely opponents. Some of Trump's allies had hoped that the investigation's findings could lead to charges against former special counsel Jack Smith, former CIA Director John Brennan, and former FBI Director James Comey, against whom the administration has already brought charges in two other cases. In August 2026, the White House declassified FBI materials on a secret 2017 investigation into possible Trump links with Russia — opened after the firing of FBI Director James Comey and later closed without finding evidence. ### Contradictory Data There is a notable gap between the expectations of the president's political allies and the actual results of the investigation. On the one hand, part of Trump's circle had expected the arrest of senior officials — Smith, Brennan, and Comey. On the other hand, no charges were filed during the course of the investigation, and its head resigned without revealing the reasons. Moreover, the legal community points to potential procedural obstacles: the jurisdiction of a Florida court may not extend to events that occurred in Washington and Virginia, which calls into question the very possibility of bringing a case based on the work carried out. Thus, the mismatch between political ambitions and legal realities remains the central contradiction of the entire story. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Prosecutor Who Sought a 'Conspiracy' Against Trump Suddenly Resigns, - Reuters](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/prokuror-kiy-shukav-zmovu-proti-trampa-raptom-1789112917.html) - Подтверждает факт отставки Дидженова, цитату и связь с Reuters - [Investigation Against Trump Falls Apart: Its Head Resigns](https://www.mk.ru/politics/2026/09/11/rassledovanie-protiv-trampa-dalo-sboy-ego-glava-ushel-v-otstavku.html) - Подтверждает отставку и контекст расследования - [Former Prosecutor in the Case of a Conspiracy Against Trump Resigns](https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/news/2026/09/11/29295121.shtml) - Подтверждает факт отставки и роль Дидженова - [CNN: Head of the Investigation into a Possible Conspiracy Against Trump Resigns](https://tass.ru/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/28101041) - Подтверждает отставку через ссылку на CNN ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Who is Joseph Digenova? **A:** Joseph Digenova is an ally of Donald Trump and a former U.S. Attorney in Washington during the Ronald Reagan administration. In April 2026, he took the lead at the Department of Justice in an investigation into a possible 'conspiracy' against the president. ### Q: What did Digenova investigate? **A:** The investigation examined the 2017 intelligence assessment of Russia's attempt to support Trump's 2016 campaign, as well as the cases of former special counsel Jack Smith over the retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and attempts to contest the 2020 election. ### Q: What results did the investigation yield? **A:** The investigation led to no criminal charges. Investigators interviewed intelligence officials and attempted to question FBI officials involved in the 2022 Mar-a-Lago search, but no case was brought. ### Q: Why do lawyers doubt the case's prospects? **A:** A number of lawyers point out that a significant part of the Russia-related investigation took place in Washington and Virginia, not in Florida, where Digenova's case is based. This creates potential jurisdictional obstacles to bringing a criminal case. ### Q: What arrests did Trump's allies expect? **A:** Some of the president's allies had hoped for charges against former special counsel Jack Smith, former CIA Director John Brennan, and former FBI Director James Comey. However, none of these charges were brought as a result of Digenova's investigation.