Joe diGenova, the veteran conservative attorney President Trump installed in April to run the Justice Department's "grand conspiracy" investigation into his political adversaries, has resigned, citing a clash with department leadership over how quickly the probe should produce charges.

DiGenova, 80, told NBC News that "lanes got crossed" with senior DOJ officials in the days before he stepped down. In a separate statement reported by CNN, he defended his methodical approach: "As an old prosecutor of more than 50 years, I make cases the old fashioned way: witnesses, evidence, etc. That takes time."

A Revolving Door at the Investigation's Helm

DiGenova, who served as counselor to Attorney General Todd Blanche, is the second person to lose or leave the top job overseeing the probe in less than a year. He took over in April after career prosecutor Maria Medetis Long was ousted for what officials described as resisting pressure to bring charges faster.

The investigation examines whether former officials — including ex-CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey — improperly used federal law enforcement and intelligence powers against Trump, in probes dating back to the 2016 Russia-interference inquiry through the January 6 and Mar-a-Lago documents cases.

"AS AN OLD PROSECUTOR OF MORE THAN 50 YEARS, I MAKE CASES THE OLD FASHIONED WAY: WITNESSES, EVIDENCE, ETC. THAT TAKES TIME." — JOE DIGENOVA

An unnamed person familiar with the probe told CNN diGenova had been "missing the forest for the trees," pursuing scattered targets without a unifying case theory — a critique that echoes broader frustration from Trump and senior DOJ officials about the investigation's slow pace nearly a year and a half into the administration.

Neither diGenova nor the Justice Department detailed who will take over the investigation next, or whether its focus will shift. The department has not announced a successor as of Friday afternoon.

The resignation lands amid a broader stretch of turnover and legal setbacks for the administration's Justice Department, and adds fresh scrutiny to a probe critics have long called politically motivated, while supporters argue it is finally pursuing accountability for past investigations of Trump. Civil-liberties groups and Democratic lawmakers have repeatedly pressed for oversight hearings into the investigation's conduct; none have yet been scheduled.

What happens next rests with Attorney General Blanche, who must now name a third leader for the probe as the midterm campaign season intensifies and questions mount over whether the investigation will produce any indictments before voters go to the polls in November.