CNN
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Denise Cheung, the principal criminal prosecutor at the US Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC, submitted her resignation on Tuesday after she declined a request from her Trump-era superiors to initiate a grand jury investigation, which she deemed premature, according to sources familiar with the situation.

The request was issued by Emil Bove, the acting deputy attorney general, to Ed Martin, whom former President Donald Trump appointed as the permanent US Attorney for DC.

Cheung, a veteran of the Department of Justice, was tasked with leading an investigation into funding decisions made by the Environmental Protection Agency during the Biden administration.

She chose to resign rather than comply with the order, believing there was inadequate evidence to warrant such an action at that time and also aimed to protect lower-level prosecutors from potential fallout, according to insiders.

The Trump administration has frequently criticized President Biden’s expenditures on environmental initiatives. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin claimed to have discovered $20 billion attributed to former President Biden’s 2022 climate law residing in a Citibank account, expressing a desire to return the funds to the US Treasury.

Following this, the EPA issued a statement indicating their intention to collaborate with the US Department of Justice regarding the issue. CNN has reached out to the EPA for further comment.

Cheung did not respond to CNN’s request for her comments on Tuesday morning.

In response to Cheung’s resignation, a spokesperson for the Justice Department stated to CNN: “Dismissing a straightforward request to pause an investigation so that officials can evaluate possible waste of taxpayer resources is not an act of bravery – it is simply neglecting the chain of command.”

Zeldin has suggested that the funding was hurriedly allocated to eight nonprofit organizations at the conclusion of the Biden administration via the Inflation Reduction Act, but a previous EPA official involved in the funding process clarified to CNN last week that there was nothing rushed or underhanded about the arrangements.

On Tuesday morning, Cheung sent a farewell message to her colleagues but did not specify her reasons for leaving.

Cheung’s resignation occurs amid significant changes within the DOJ, where some prosecutors deemed unreliable have been let go, and ethical disputes have emerged between Trump’s appointed officials and seasoned federal prosecutors.

Last week, Bove presided over a public dispute with prosecutors in New York and Washington regarding his directive to drop charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

As Martin takes charge of the DC US Attorney’s Office, he has advocated for reversing all January 6-related criminal cases prosecuted by the office. He had enlisted Cheung and another career prosecutor to evaluate how they charged January 6 rioters with felony obstruction, which the Supreme Court later overturned.

In her farewell email to colleagues, Cheung expressed, “When I began my role as an Assistant US Attorney, I pledged to uphold and defend the Constitution, fulfilling this duty diligently throughout my career, which has covered numerous administrations. I trust that all AUSAs in our office continue to honor their oaths daily, and I know you have always conducted yourselves with the highest integrity.”

CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz contributed to this report.

This article has been updated with additional information.