DeKalb GA News

A former Biden-era pardon attorney has voiced allegations against the Department of Justice (DOJ) following her dismissal. Elizabeth Oyer, who served as a top official in the DOJ's Office of the Pardon Attorney, claims she was terminated after declining to recommend restoring actor Mel Gibson's gun rights.

Oyer, speaking with The New York Times, stated that her refusal was based on Gibson's 2011 "no contest" plea to a misdemeanor charge of battering his former girlfriend. She expressed concerns about allowing domestic abusers access to firearms, saying, "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."

The decision to dismiss Oyer came under the administration of President Trump's newly confirmed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. According to Oyer, she received pressure from a senior official in Blanche’s office to reconsider her stance due to Gibson's reported close personal relationship with Trump.

However, an anonymous DOJ official told ABC News that Oyer's account regarding the circumstances surrounding her removal is inaccurate and that the issue over Gibson’s gun rights did not influence the decision.

ABC News reported that attorneys for Gibson had directly approached senior DOJ officials after he received a special appointment from President Donald Trump. This request led to Oyer being asked at the last minute to add Gibson’s name to a memo recommending restoration of his gun rights.

Despite these assertions by Oyer, the DOJ maintains that other factors were involved in her dismissal and denies any connection between her termination and the controversy over Gibson’s firearm access.