Jason Reding Quiñones, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, resigned on Friday, November 6, 2026. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the departure in a statement that praised Quiñones for his work against violent crime, trafficking, and transnational criminal organizations but did not provide a specific reason for the resignation. Quiñones had served in the role since August 13, 2025, after being confirmed as the first U.S. Attorney of President Trump’s second administration.
The resignation comes amid a Justice Department (DOJ) investigation based in Fort Pierce, Florida, into whether intelligence officials under the Obama and Biden administrations conspired to prevent Donald Trump from taking office. The probe has also examined whether former CIA Director John Brennan provided false testimony to Congress regarding an intelligence assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Quiñones' departure follows the September resignation of Joe diGenova, who reportedly left the investigation due to management disagreements with the Deputy Attorney General's Office.
Internal documentation and sources indicate the investigation has faced friction between local prosecutors and Washington leadership. Sources told CBS News that Quiñones and diGenova resisted attempts by senior DOJ leaders to send additional attorneys from the office of Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter to help manage the case. Other departures from the probe include former White House attorney Kurt Olsen and several prosecutors whose temporary assignments concluded. Earlier in the year, a lead career prosecutor was sidelined after raising concerns regarding the strength of the evidence in the conspiracy probe.
Beyond the conspiracy investigation, Quiñones oversaw several high-profile international matters. His office secured an indictment against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro and established a task force aimed at building cases against officials connected to the Cuban government. Additionally, his office has been pursuing a corruption investigation involving former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who is currently jailed in New York awaiting trial on drug and torture charges. That probe was linked to Alex Saab, a business associate of Maduro who recently pleaded guilty to money-laundering conspiracy charges.
The scale of the "grand conspiracy" investigation involves grand jury activity and multiple former high-ranking intelligence officials, though it has not yet resulted in charges for an overarching conspiracy. The transition in leadership at the Southern District of Florida occurs as the Justice Department manages broader personnel changes following recent Republican losses in the midterm elections. Residents and legal professionals in South Florida will notice the change in how these cases are prioritized and managed as a successor is appointed to lead the office’s hundreds of employees and extensive caseload.
The departure follows internal disagreements between career staff and political appointees regarding sensitive investigations. While Attorney General Blanche stated that "people leave and stay all the time" and that the investigation would continue, the exit of both Quiñones and diGenova highlights ongoing tension regarding the probe's management. What happens next depends on the appointment of an interim or permanent successor, while the Fort Pierce-based grand jury continues its work. No specific deadlines for charges or the conclusion of the probe were reported.