Jay I. Bratt
Jay I. Bratt is an American lawyer who served as a federal prosecutor at the United States Department of Justice for 34 years until his retirement in January 2025.[1] He was the Chief of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES) in the National Security Division, and later served as Counselor to Special Counsel Jack Smith, acting as the lead attorney in the classified documents prosecution of Donald Trump.[2]
Early life and education
Bratt earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandeis University in 1981 and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1984.[1]
Career
Department of Justice
Before joining the Department of Justice, Bratt worked as a staff attorney at the Federal Trade Commission and as an associate at a Chicago law firm.[1] He began his DOJ career as a line prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, where he spent approximately 20 years handling criminal prosecutions. He later served as Deputy Chief of the National Security Section in the D.C. U.S. Attorney's Office.[3]
Bratt held several positions within the National Security Division, including Deputy Chief for Export Control and Sanctions and Principal Deputy Chief of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.[4] He was appointed Chief of CES around 2017, a position in which he oversaw all federal investigations and prosecutions involving the Espionage Act, export control and sanctions laws, and foreign influence statutes.[1]
During his career, Bratt oversaw the prosecution of Blackwater guards convicted of killing 14 Iraqi civilians and wounding 17 others.[3] He prosecuted James Hitselberger, a Navy linguist charged under the Espionage Act with unauthorized retention of national defense information.[3] In 2014, he represented the government at the parole hearing for Jonathan Pollard, a former Navy analyst convicted of spying for Israel.[3] Bratt was also involved in the prosecution of Bryan Underwood, a former security guard at the U.S. consulate in Guangzhou, China, who pleaded guilty in 2013 to attempting to sell information to Chinese officials.[3] He helped oversee investigations of Chinese telecommunications firms Huawei and ZTE for sanctions violations.[3]
Special Counsel's Office
In November 2022, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Jack Smith as Special Counsel to oversee the investigation into classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago. Bratt, who had led the investigation before Smith's appointment, joined the Special Counsel's Office as Counselor and served as the lead attorney on the case in the Southern District of Florida.[2]
In August 2022, Bratt appeared at a federal court hearing regarding the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, arguing against unsealing the probable cause affidavit by stating the investigation was in its "early stages" and that releasing the document could provide a "road map" to the investigation and jeopardize witness identities.[5]
Attorney Stanley Woodward, who represented Trump aide Walt Nauta, alleged in 2023 that Bratt raised Woodward's application for a D.C. judgeship during a meeting in a manner that implied pressure to cooperate.[6] Bratt denied any improper intent, and prosecutors stated he mentioned the application "purely as a matter of professional courtesy."[6] The matter was referred to the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility.[2]
Bratt retired from the Department of Justice on January 3, 2025, after 34 years of service.[7]
Post-retirement
Following his retirement, Bratt joined the University of Virginia School of Law as an adjunct professor.[1]
In May 2025, Bratt appeared before the House Judiciary Committee for a deposition as part of the committee's investigation into the Special Counsel's Office. He invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to answer questions.[8]
See also
- Federal prosecution of Donald Trump (classified documents case)
- Jack Smith (lawyer)
- FBI search of Mar-a-Lago
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Jay Bratt". University of Virginia School of Law. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Schor, Rebecca (January 6, 2025). "Lead Trump documents prosecutor leaves DOJ". The Hill. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Basu, Zachary; Fischer, Sara (October 24, 2022). "Meet the top DOJ prosecutor taking on Trump". Axios. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
- ↑ "Jay Bratt". The Official Cybersecurity Summit. December 17, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
- ↑ Spencer, Terry; Balsamo, Michael (August 18, 2022). "Judge who authorized Trump FBI search appears willing to unveil some of Mar-a-Lago affidavit". PBS News. Associated Press. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Winter, Tom (June 9, 2023). "Lawyer for witness in Trump docs probe alleges prosecutorial misconduct". NBC News. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
- ↑ Goudsward, Andrew (January 6, 2025). "Lead Prosecutor on Trump Documents Case Leaves US Justice Department, Official Says". Reuters. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
- ↑ Polantz, Katelyn; Herb, Jeremy (May 14, 2025). "Key prosecutor in Trump's classified documents case takes the Fifth in House Judiciary deposition". CNN. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
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