By Sarah N. Lynch and Valerie VolcoviciWASHINGTON (Reuters) – Four Democratic senators have requested the Justice Department’s Inspector General to investigate the resignation of a senior federal prosecutor in Washington who was under pressure to initiate a criminal investigation of a contract awarded under former President Joe Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency. Democratic Senators Edward Markey, Sheldon Whitehouse, Chris Van Hollen, and Bernie Sanders raised concerns over the departure of Denise Cheung from the U.S. Attorney’s office due to pressure exerted by officials in President Donald Trump’s administration. The senators criticized the officials for what they viewed as an egregious abuse of prosecutorial authority in compelling Cheung to pursue a criminal investigation of the contract despite a lack of evidence. Her resignation is the most recent instance of career Justice Department prosecutors stepping down in protest against perceived improper political interferences by the Trump administration in criminal investigations. “The Department must not be used as a tool for political retaliation or partisan tactics,” the senators emphasized. Cheung did not specify the agency in her resignation letter, but media reports suggested she was alluding to a request to probe money allocated by Congress for multibillion-dollar green banking initiatives established by the Biden EPA to support clean energy investments in low-income and minority communities with private sector assistance. The reports have raised serious concerns about the politicization of the Justice Department during President Donald Trump’s tenure, the senators conveyed in a letter to Inspector General Michael Horowitz. They urged a prompt investigation into the matter. The EPA declined to comment and redirected inquiries to the Justice Department. The Justice Department’s inspector general’s office also refrained from commenting. Representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s office were not immediately available for comment. Citibank, the custodian of accounts for the National Clean Investment Fund and the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator programs, declined to provide a statement. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin publicly announced his intent to seize the green bank funding in a video shared on X, previously known as Twitter. The post alleged the funding was fraudulent but did not present any evidence. When Cheung refused to launch a grand jury investigation due to the absence of evidence, she alleged that she was instructed instead to pursue asset seizure to prevent the contract recipient from accessing the government funds. (Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by David Gregorio)
