DOJ attorney claims firing was tied to refusal to restore Mel Gibson’s gun rights

A Justice Department attorney, Elizabeth G. Oyer, claims she was fired after refusing to support restoring Mel Gibson’s gun rights, citing concerns over his domestic violence conviction.

Oyer told The New York Times that she was terminated on March 7, 2025, along with several colleagues. The firing came shortly after she declined to approve Gibson’s petition to have his firearm ownership rights reinstated—a privilege he lost following a 2011 domestic violence conviction involving his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.

According to Oyer, she was tasked with reviewing gun rights restoration cases for individuals convicted of crimes. However, after submitting a draft memo recommending nine candidates, she was pressured to add Gibson to the list. The request followed Gibson’s appointment as a "special ambassador" to Hollywood by President Donald Trump in January 2025.

"They sent it back to me saying, ‘We would like you to add Mel Gibson to this memo,’” Oyer recalled. She resisted, arguing that domestic violence convictions should be carefully reviewed before restoring firearm rights.

She later claimed she received a call from a senior DOJ official, who allegedly emphasized Gibson’s personal relationship with Trump as justification. Oyer says she feared for her job, even telling a colleague, "I really think Mel Gibson is going to be my downfall."

Despite Oyer’s claims, DOJ officials deny that her firing was related to Gibson, asserting that “the paperwork was done before the Mel Gibson email went out.” However, another DOJ official described broader concerns about political pressure within the department.