Former US prosecutor sues over Rosh Hashanah firing linked to anti-Trump blog
Will Rosenzweig alleges Justice Department terminated him hours after right-wing commentator posted about his old writings
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Former US prosecutor sues over Rosh Hashanah firing linked to anti-Trump blog
Photograph: Washington Top News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Will Rosenzweig, a former assistant US attorney in Florida, was fired in September 2025 during Rosh Hashanah, two weeks before a major Medicare fraud trial he was handling.
- The lawsuit alleges his termination followed a social media post by right-wing commentator Natalie Winters about his old anti-Trump blog, which he wrote before joining the Justice Department.
- Rosenzweig seeks reinstatement, backpay, and damages, arguing his firing violated First Amendment protections for speech made as a private citizen.
- No right-rated outlet reported on the lawsuit, according to the digests and reports available.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 17 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
66/100
Craft
85/100
Hype
30/100
17 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 17 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Will Rosenzweig, a former assistant US attorney in the Southern District of Florida, was fired in September 2025 during Rosh Hashanah. The termination came two weeks before jury selection was set to begin in a Medicare fraud case involving three defendants, which Rosenzweig had worked on for years. He filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department on 7 August 2026, alleging his firing was politically motivated and violated his First Amendment rights.
The lawsuit claims Rosenzweig’s termination followed a social media post by right-wing commentator Natalie Winters. On the day he was fired, Winters shared a screenshot of Rosenzweig’s LinkedIn profile and wrote that he had "secretly run [an] anti-Trump blog for YEARS" while using "government power to wage LAWFARE against MAGA patriots." She tagged then-Attorney General Pam Bondi and called for his firing. The post was later deleted.
Rosenzweig’s lawsuit states he was fired by email less than three hours after Winters’ post. The termination memo was signed by Bondi. The lawsuit alleges the firing disrupted the Medicare fraud case, which involved defendants Marcelo Kochen, Michael Kochen, and Sandro Herek. Michael Kochen and Herek were later convicted and sentenced; Marcelo Kochen’s case remains pending.
Rosenzweig’s blog, which he started in January 2016, included posts critical of then-candidate Donald Trump. The blog was largely inactive by January 2019, before he joined the Justice Department. His lawyers argue that his pre-employment speech is protected under the First Amendment and that the Justice Department violated its own policies by targeting it.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated digests or reports carried the story. The omission is a finding: no right-rated outlet among those listed published any account of Rosenzweig’s lawsuit or his allegations. The left and centre digests did not mention the specific dollar amounts Rosenzweig seeks in backpay and damages, though KIFI’s full report noted the request for financial compensation without specifying figures.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 7 times, most recently on 7 Aug 2026, 22:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
8 rated outlets
- The five left-rated digests led on Rosenzweig’s First Amendment claim. All five stated that he was fired over "critical comments he had written as a private citizen about President Donald Trump" and that his lawsuit alleges the termination violated his constitutional rights. The Toronto Star, The Seattle Times, and The Hamilton Spectator used identical wording from an AP digest, while CNN’s digest highlighted the timing of the firing during Rosh Hashanah.
- KIFI’s full report, republished from CNN, provided the most detail among the left-rated outlets. It quoted Rosenzweig’s lawsuit directly, describing the firing as part of a "wider campaign to conduct political firings." The report also named Natalie Winters as the commentator whose post preceded the termination and noted that Winters later claimed credit for the firing on social media. It included the context of the Medicare fraud case and the status of the defendants’ convictions.
Centre
9 rated outlets
- The eight centre-rated digests carried the same core facts: Rosenzweig’s firing, his pre-employment blog posts critical of Trump, and his First Amendment claim. Seven of the eight digests used identical wording from an AP report, stating that he was fired over "critical comments he had written as a private citizen." KRDO, KEYT, and KESQ carried a CNN digest that added the detail of Winters’ social media post and the timing of the firing during Rosh Hashanah.
- KIFI’s full report, the only centre-rated outlet to publish its own article, led with the role of Winters’ social media post in triggering the firing. It quoted the lawsuit’s allegation that the termination was part of a "wider campaign" and included the timing of the firing during Rosh Hashanah. The report also named Todd Blanche, a defendant in the lawsuit, and noted his pending confirmation as Trump’s next Attorney General. It described the Medicare fraud case and the defendants’ legal outcomes in detail.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Read it at the source
17 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
8- DOJ hauled into court as MAGA boasts of ousting prosecutor over 'secret anti-Trump blog' (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
- Prosecutor Sues Justice Dept. Over Dismissal After Right (opens GV Wire in a new tab)
- Federal prosecutor who was fired over years-old blog posts critical of Trump sues Justice Department (opens The Seattle Times in a new tab)
The Seattle Times — is The Seattle Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Federal prosecutor who was fired over years-old blog posts critical of Trump sues Justice Department (opens The Toronto Star in a new tab)
The Toronto Star — is The Toronto Star biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Federal prosecutor who was fired over years-old blog posts critical of Trump sues Justice Department (opens Associated Press News in a new tab)
Associated Press News — is Associated Press News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Lawsuit from ex-federal prosecutor details how a MAGA influencer’s social media post led to his Rosh Hashanah firing (opens CNN in a new tab)
- Fired federal prosecutor sues Justice Department (opens St Catharines Standard in a new tab)
St Catharines Standard — is St Catharines Standard biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fired federal prosecutor sues Justice Department (opens The Hamilton Spectator in a new tab)
The Hamilton Spectator — is The Hamilton Spectator biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
9- Federal prosecutor who was fired over years-old blog posts critical of Trump sues Justice Department (opens The Record in a new tab)
The Record — is The Record biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fired federal prosecutor sues Justice Department (opens Washington Top News in a new tab)
Washington Top News — is Washington Top News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fired federal prosecutor sues Justice Department (opens News 4 JAX in a new tab)
News 4 JAX — is News 4 JAX biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fired federal prosecutor sues Justice Department (opens WKMG in a new tab)
- Lawsuit from ex-federal prosecutor details how a MAGA influencer’s social media post led to his Rosh Hashanah firing (opens KESQ in a new tab)
- Lawsuit from ex-federal prosecutor details how a MAGA influencer’s social media post led to his Rosh Hashanah firing (opens KEYT in a new tab)
- Lawsuit from ex-federal prosecutor details how a MAGA influencer’s social media post led to his Rosh Hashanah firing (opens KRDO in a new tab)
- Lawsuit from ex-federal prosecutor details how a MAGA influencer’s social media post led to his Rosh Hashanah firing (opens KIFI in a new tab)
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
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