Bondi fires DOJ paralegal for obscene gesture toward National Guard

Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday dismissed a Department of Justice paralegal for making an obscene gesture and using profanity toward members of the National Guard deployed in Washington, D.C., officials said. Elizabeth Baxter, a paralegal specialist in the DOJ’s Environmental Defense Section, was removed from federal service after investigators concluded she flipped off a guardsman at the Metro Center station on Aug. 18, boasted about the act to a department security guard when she arrived at the DOJ’s 4CON building in the NoMa neighborhood, and repeated disparaging remarks days later.

Bondi announced the termination on social media, saying, "Today, I took action to terminate a DOJ employee for inappropriate conduct towards National Guard service members in DC." In a termination letter, the attorney general told Baxter she was removed from her position effective immediately based on her conduct, which the department said violated standards of behavior toward law enforcement. Officials said the decision followed an internal investigation that included multiple witnesses and review of security footage showing Baxter demonstrating the gesture at a security desk.