DOJ official says she was dismissed after not recommending Mel Gibson's gun rights be restored
The head of the Department of Justice (DOJ) office that makes pardon recommendations to the president said she was fired after refusing to sign off on a recommendation to restore gun rights to actor Mel Gibson.
Liz Oyer, the pardon attorney at the DOJ, said through a spokesperson that she was not told why she was fired, but her termination came after she was pressured to add the actor to a list of those recommended for restoration of gun rights.
“Unfortunately, experienced professionals throughout the Department are afraid to voice their opinions because dissent is being punished,” Oyer said in a statement.
“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.”
Oyer was among those placed on a new working group established at DOJ to weigh the return of gun rights to those barred from doing so after a criminal conviction.
She said in an interview with The New York Times that Justice Department leadership cited Gibson’s close relationship with President Trump in asking for his gun rights to be restored.
Gibson lost his gun rights in connection with a 2011 conviction on misdemeanor domestic violence charges.
“This is dangerous. This isn’t political — this is a safety issue,” Oyer told the outlet, noting the risks associated with restoring gun rights to those convicted of violent crimes.
“Giving guns back to domestic abusers is a serious matter that, in my view, is not something that I could recommend lightly, because there are real consequences that flow from people who have a history of domestic violence being in possession of firearms.”
A Justice Department official denied the reporting, saying the disagreement over Gibson played no role in the dismissal.
The White House did not immediately provide a comment.
Oyer told the Times that as part of the task force work, she initially came up with a list of 95 people whose crimes were decades old, who had petitioned to have their gun rights restored, and who Oyer thought the risk of recidivism was low.
The list was given to the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, Todd Blanche, who culled the list to nine individuals, Oyer added.
“They sent it back to me saying, ‘We would like you to add Mel Gibson to this memo,'"Oyer said.
That included a letter from Gibson’s lawyers noting he had been tapped by Trump as a Hollywood “ambassador” and referencing his successful film career, Oyer told the Times, adding that the request surprised her as Gibson has not undergone the typical background investigation to assess whether he was likely to reoffend.
The official from Blanche’s office asked if Oyer’s position was “flexible,” she said.
“He then essentially explained to me that Mel Gibson has a personal relationship with President Trump and that should be sufficient basis for me to make a recommendation and that I would be wise to make the recommendation,” she told the Times.
Oyer also said she ended the conversation saying she would think of a way to “thread the needle.”
“I literally did not sleep a wink that night because I understood that the position I was in was one that was going to either require me to compromise my strongly held views and ethics or would likely result in me losing my ability to participate in these conversations going forward,” she told the Times.
“I can’t believe this, but I really think Mel Gibson is going to be my downfall,” she said she told a colleague.
On Friday morning, Oyer said she submitted a memo saying she knew little of Gibson’s case and that the decision should rest with the attorney general, adding that security officers delivered the letter firing her hours later.
Oyer was one of several Justice Department officials fired Friday, posting a photo of her termination letter on LinkedIn, saying she was fired “from the job I have poured my heart and soul into for the last three years.”
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