DOJ official says she was fired after opposing the restoration of Mel Gibson's gun rights
The U.S. Pardon Attorney was terminated last Friday after she opposed restoring actor Mel Gibson’s rights to carry a gun, her spokesperson and two DOJ officials told NBC News.
The former U.S. pardon attorney, Elizabeth G. Oyer, was terminated Friday after she opposed restoring actor Mel Gibson’s rights to carry a gun, her spokesperson and two Justice Department officials familiar with the matter told NBC News.
A spokesperson for Oyer said that she was not told why she was terminated but that because of the sequence of events she believes her refusal to carry out a request from officials in the deputy attorney general’s office to add Gibson’s name to a list of people to have their gun rights restored may have played a role.
Gibson, a supporter of President Donald Trump, lost his gun rights after a 2011 domestic violence misdemeanor conviction.
In a statement to NBC News, Oyer described a climate of fear within the Justice Department.
“Unfortunately, experienced professionals throughout the Department are afraid to voice their opinions because dissent is being punished,” she said. “Decisions are being made based on relationships and loyalty, not based on facts or expertise or sound analysis, which is very alarming given that what is at stake is our public safety.”
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