Senior Federal Prosecutor Quits Over ‘Politically Driven’ Indictment of Abrego Garcia
“Of course you didn’t resign after all the other political cases against Trump though. What a fraud.”
Another otherwise sane liberal was willing to fall on his sword to defend Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant, domestic abuser, and likely MS-13 gang member, who was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Tennessee on May 21. The indictment, which was initially sealed, was unsealed on Friday, upon his return to the U.S. The charges include unlawful transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain and conspiracy to do the same.
The indictment states that Abrego Garcia “knowingly and unlawfully transported thousands of undocumented aliens who had no authorization to be present in the United States, and many of whom were MS-13 members and associates.” The allegations involve several “alleged unnamed co-conspirators.”
During a Friday afternoon press conference, Attorney General Pam Bondi indicated that Abrego Garcia had participated in over 100 smuggling operations. She claimed that he has also “trafficked firearms and narcotics, although no charges have been brought in connection to those allegations.”
While Abrego Garcia is presumed innocent until proven guilty, there are numerous well-documented reasons why he should not be in this country.
In any case, Ben Schrader, the longtime Chief of the Criminal Division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nashville, opposed the indictment—believing it was politically motivated—and resigned from his position in protest.
According to ABC News, “Schrader’s resignation was prompted by concerns that the case was being pursued for political reasons.”
Schrader announced his resignation on LinkedIn on or about the same day as the indictment. Because the indictment was sealed at that time, he could not refer to specifics. But he did write, “It has been an incredible privilege to serve as a prosecutor with the Department of Justice, where the only job description I’ve ever known is to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reasons.”
Two weeks ago, Ben Schrader – the highly respected chief of the criminal division for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Nashville – announced he had resigned.
According to LinkedIn data, that was May 21 – the same day as Abrego Garcia's indictment.
ABC News is reporting that… https://t.co/AqJKQMxrwX pic.twitter.com/qKj0auMzlk— Phil Williams (@PhilNvestigates) June 6, 2025
Now that the reason for his resignation has been made clear, he has received accolades from his liberal friends on social media. One user wrote, “By refusing to be part of a groundless indictment, you remained true to your principles and to those of the DOJ before it was corrupted by the Trump-Bondi regime. Thank you for your service.”
Has participation in over 100 human smuggling operations suddenly become a lawful pursuit? This person should be asking why the Biden administration told the Tennessee officers who detained Abrego Garcia in December 2022 to let him go.
A second thanked him for his “devotion to the rule of law and justice. You have the admiration and gratitude of your fellow citizens who value our Constitution.”
Schrader’s decision had nothing to do with law or justice. His resignation itself was a political decision.
But another saw things a bit more clearly. He wrote, “Of course you didn’t resign after all the other political cases against Trump though. What a fraud.”
Ben Schrader’s resignation isn’t a principled stand—it’s a partisan gesture disguised as virtue. In the face of a federal indictment alleging involvement in over 100 human smuggling operations, the real question isn’t why Schrader objected, but why the Biden administration ordered Tennessee authorities to release Abrego Garcia in the first place. While some laud Schrader for his supposed devotion to justice, his silence on politically charged prosecutions involving Trump exposes his resignation for what it truly is: selective outrage. This isn’t courage—it’s hypocrisy. And it deserves condemnation, not praise.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn or X.
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Comments
What office does he intend to run for???
He may not have to. I am sure he checked to see that his Cadillac retirement benefits and pension were solid before making this grandstandmove.
Given the mindset of most liberals – i.e. look out for number one and the Devil take the hindmost – that is an absolute certainty.
“Ben Schrader – the highly respected chief of the criminal division for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nashville”
Not respected anymore, if he is running for office as a Dem he can go down with their sinking ship.
He added a part time professorship 15 months ago and a second part time professorship 3 months ago (see his Linked in profile).
The sword he fell on looks to be a Nerf.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-schrader-527510260
He made a mistake. He should have angled for a judgeship while Biden’s autopen was still in charge.
Is he saying the acts alleged in the indictment did not occur?
Seems the whole episode of Maryland dad and the manufactured outrage, has driven the politics. All in support of another loser. More care for the loser, the bad guy, than all his victims combined.
Orwellian morality illustrated.
No, he seems to be saying merely that the prosecution would not have been brought if not for the political considerations, so his conscience doesn’t allow him to have a part in it.
Thus, he says that the accusation was not brought earlier for political reasons. He does not deny the basis of the accusation.
No, he is saying this is not the sort of case the DOJ usually prosecutes. That this one case has been singled out from all similar cases, only for political reasons, and he personally can’t take part in that.
He may be wrong, but that is a principled position, and it gives us no information on how he felt about the Trump prosecutions. We simply don’t know whether he supported or opposed them; they weren’t his business.
You’re right. I completely forgot that not prosecuting a specific crime when Democrats and Biden are in power is not politically motivated, but prosecuting the same crime when Republicans and Trump are in power is politically motivated.
No, you idiot. He neither said nor in any way implied that the Trump and J6 prosecutions were not politically motivated. You are saying that, dishonestly setting up a strawman so you can knock it down. I am calling you on that dishonest argument.
That is what he is saying but if the allegations are correct it’s hard to see how they would not be prosecuted. I believe his actual belief is that it is political in that Biden’s DOJ wouldn’t prosecute anyone, Trump’s has made it clear they are and he doesn’t want to do that.
How many previous cases have there been for merely running a taxi service for illegal immigrants? How many other people have been brought from another country for the purpose of bringing such a case against them? If there hadn’t been the whole fuss over his deportation, would DOJ really have bothered with this case?
The only legitimate questions about his resignation is ‘Who is buying him off, and how much did he sellout for??’
Seriously. I’m that jaded because I think it comes down to nothing more than ‘follow the money’ – whether it’s a big city mayor enabling invaders and protests, or this Nashville clown who virtue signals ‘mUh pRiNciPlEs’ in defiance of protecting US citizens, or dems in congress sabotaging border security in exchange for a photo-op in margaritaville with this MS13 guy.
If the USAID money launder scandal (why isn’t anyone in prison, yet??) taught us anything, corrupt-o-crats can buy a lot of allies, influence, and muscle with other people’s money. Follow the money.
Hopefully the DOJ has another grand jury convened to determine if he acted with the cartels and/or leftist activist groups to prevent his office from investigating the human trafficking of illegal aliens, drug smuggling and sexual slavery of women and children by the cartels and illegal alien criminal gangs.
Would be interesting if a grand jury found that his office deliberately looked the other way or even coordinated with cartels and illegal alien gangs to commit multiple felonies.
Another malignantly narcissistic, self-aggrandizing and hypocritical Dhimmi-crat.
The loudly-publicized resignation announcement says it all — this is an act of theatrical posturing and self-serving résumé blast.
This twit found nothing objectionable in myriad ethical breaches and incidents of DOJ overreach and partisan chicanery, under the lawless and vindictive Obama and Biden regimes.
He either got word he was going to asked to leave or he got a job offer he couldn’t turn down ( with a liberal BS group)
Another otherwise sane liberal was willing to fall on his sword to defend Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant”
Who the heck thinks he sane? He’s been supporting the left and giving the finger to
American citizens on our dime
No
Less..
I think that’s right. All he did is put his spin on it.
Most likely he was told he was going to prosecute or he could find another job. He chose another job. If anything Trump is sure weeding out the progressives
OK. Bye.
In the immortal words of Curly Bill — Well … bye.
Ben Schrader gone. One less commie lib fraud to contend with.
I still don’t understand why the Trump Admin thought it was a winning idea to yank this banger out of his uncomfortable El Salvador prison h was already in, just to convict him and stick him in a local prison where we have to pay for him. Unless they’re hoping that discovery is going to lead them up the chain to some sort of corruption high in the Biden Admin… but that would sure seem like a Hail Mary plan to me.
I was of the same opinion until I read the indictment. They have GPS and cell records. Right now there are only “allegations.” The DOJ will put on a big showy Karen Reed style trial in the middle of 2026 mid terms, where the GOP can run attack ads featuring democrats cozying up to a soon to be convicted human trafficker who beats women and maybe rapes them too. Garcia is the gift that keeps on giving. The admin will want to keep Garcia in the forefront of the news until Nov 2026.
My thoughts exactly
Pin their ass’es to this freaking monster
I hope you’re correct. The Dems will rue the day they demanded his return to the US.
I hope you’re right.
The Republicans have shown themselves incapable of doggedly pursuing a proper shame-on-you-campaign to its desired conclusion since Willie Horton.
He’s giving the democrats more of a chance to embarrass themselves defending the POS. Good plan so far, it got rid of one liberal judge.
I don’t understand either, yet. It is likely Trump has something up his sleeve, lets wait an see.
MAGA Then’ Indictments don’t mean anything”
MAGA now :” HE WAS INDICTED!!!”
LAFFRIOt
When does this nightmare end? When do people WAKE THE {BLEEP} up??
It did thin out the deep state by one….. itty bitty steps.
You’re the LAFFRIOT you idiot.
Can’t you see everybody here is laughing at you.
I feel sorry for you.
“When does this nightmare end?”
What nightmare. you just said it’s a “LAFFRIOt”.
Oh that’s right. Northing you write makes any sense.
For each of your “astute” observations, there are multiple examples the other way.
As such, your put downs are quite laughable by themselves. To imagine how retarded you are for falling for it, or devious for pushing it. Either way, pitifully shameful.
It’s only going to get worse for you. Maybe you will be forced to find new material rather than the fakery you push.
When the nightmare of illegal aliens being deported is completed we’ll wake you up sweetheart.
So, why are you here?
He’s deeply committed to the lie.
The View doesn’t play on Sundays.
“When does this nightmare end?”
When you step in front of a tractor-trailer.
One thing that won’t be a nightmare is when you finally do take off your paper mask and discover there’s nothing underneath it,
Indictments don’t mean anything. Convictions don’t mean anything. The only thing that means something is the evidence. And here the evidence the government published seems damning; it will be up to the defense to try to demolish that evidence, or cast a different light on it, and we shall see how well it does at that, but based on what we know right now he seems undoubtedly guilty. This prosecutor doesn’t seem to doubt his guilt, since his only complaint seems to be that the charges were brought for a political motive, just like the Trump indictments and the J6 indictments (none of which involved him).
Indictments don’t mean anything. Nor do convictions. All that matters is the evidence.
In Trump’s case the evidence spoke for itself; there was no there there. The prosecutions were contrived, and there was no underlying offense that anyone cares about.
In this case the evidence so far released seems damning. But of course we’ve only seen what the government has chosen to release, so maybe the defense has a different story and we’ll hear it at trial. But pending that, this guy looks very bad.
Oops, I forgot that I’d already responded to this!
tjv1156, are you an Affirmative loser?
So basically one less problem we need to deal with. Let’s move along.
Good, a deep stater is out.
“Ben Schrader – the highly respected chief of the criminal division for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nashville”
So… highly respected by who, exactly?
Did he win a President’s Medal from Trump… or a pardon from Biden?
Hey, Ben Schrader, this is not an airport. You do not have to announce your departure.
No one knows who you are, no one cares who you are, and no one gives a shit that you are leaving.
Now, can we get transvestite1156 to announce imminent departure?
Good, no great riddance!!!
Why would he be expected to resign over those cases? They had nothing to do with him. He wasn’t implicated, he wasn’t expected to participate in the political prosecution. Do you expect every prosecutor, everywhere in the country, to resign over one bad indictment?! This indictment would have involved him personally, so if he disapproves of it the only way he can save his conscience is to resign.
The fact is a lot of cases are politically motivated. Biden let people get away with things like this, one of Trump’s promises was to put a stop to it. So it could be argued that all the immigration cases are politically motivated. I mean look at them, the crime and criminals have been there for a few yrs and what changed, the person in the white house, and now those crimes are getting prosecuted. Even the judge in Minnesota, or Michigan, who let the illegal out the back door. Yeah she committed a crime, yes she should not be a judge anymore, but does anyone here think that the Biden administration would have filed a single charge? When the crimes involve one of the top 2 issues in an election the enforcement or non enforcement is always going to be politically motivated. Always been that way and always will.
Nashville, previously known as “Music City,” is now known as Woke City.
Wonder if he lasered off that “MS-13”?
He is gone, that is the only thing that matters.