Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday that a Justice Department employee who openly harassed a National Guard soldier on her way to work has been swiftly fired, signaling a dramatic shift in accountability under President Trump’s restored leadership. The employee, Elizabeth Baxter, served as a paralegal in the DOJ’s environmental division before her conduct was caught on security cameras and promptly addressed.
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Bondi explained that Baxter arrived at the DOJ’s 4CON building in Washington, D.C.’s NoMa district at 8:21 a.m. on August 18 and immediately bragged to on-site security that she had flipped off a National Guardsman stationed near a Metro stop. “F**k the National Guard,” Baxter told the guard as she checked in — a comment that underscored the hostility tolerated under the previous administration but no longer acceptable under Trump’s DOJ.
Around noon that same day, DOJ security footage captured Baxter once again extending her middle finger toward a National Guard member while repeating, “Fk you.” The following week, on August 25, she checked in for work and again bragged that she told the service members to “Fk off,” according to the security guard who reported her remarks. Multiple witnesses corroborated the pattern of behavior.
After reviewing the footage and conducting witness interviews, Bondi personally delivered Baxter’s termination notice. The letter cited the authority of Article II of the U.S. Constitution, making clear that federal employees who disrespect members of the U.S. military — especially while representing the Department of Justice — will not remain in their positions. Baxter was immediately removed from federal service.
Speaking to the New York Post, Bondi emphasized that the Trump Justice Department will not tolerate anti-law-enforcement behavior among its employees. “This DOJ remains committed to defending President Trump’s agenda and fighting to make America safe again,” she said. “If you oppose our mission and disrespect law enforcement — you will NO LONGER work at DOJ.”
Baxter worked in the same building as another recently fired DOJ paralegal, Sean Dunn, who infamously assaulted National Guard personnel with a Subway sandwich before fleeing the scene. Despite video evidence and eyewitness accounts, a D.C. grand jury declined to indict Dunn for felony assault on a federal officer — a stark contrast to how aggressively the same jury pool targeted January 6 defendants.
During the Biden years, prosecutors secured nearly a 100% conviction rate against January 6 protesters, often upgrading minor offenses to serious felonies with full support from D.C. grand juries. Yet the same system refused to indict Dunn for an assault on active-duty Guard members — an inconsistency that Bondi and Trump allies have repeatedly highlighted as proof of political double standards.
Bondi’s rapid action in firing Baxter marks a significant cultural shift inside the DOJ, one that prioritizes respect for service members, accountability for misconduct, and a renewed seriousness toward law and order — all pillars of President Trump’s governing philosophy.[/read]