DOJ pardon attorney says she was removed after dispute over Mel Gibson’s gun rights

(WASHINGTON) -- A top official leading the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney said she was fired from her post one day after refusing to recommend that actor Mel Gibson's access to firearms be restored, according to a new interview and a statement provided to ABC News on Tuesday.

In an interview with the New York Times, pardon attorney Elizabeth Oyer said the request to add Gibson's name to a memo of people who should have their gun rights restored came at the last minute, after attorneys for Gibson had written directly to senior DOJ officials citing a recent special appointment he had received from President Donald Trump.

After she refused, Oyer said she received a call from a senior official in Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's office who repeatedly pressed her to reconsider, citing Gibson's close personal relationship with Trump.

On Friday, Oyer posted on LinkedIn a termination letter from Blanche, which did not include any justification for her firing.

"Unfortunately, experienced professionals throughout the Department are afraid to voice their opinions because dissent is being punished," Oyer said in a statement to ABC News. "Decisions are being made based on relationships and loyalty, not based on facts or expertise or sound analysis, which is very alarming given what is at stake is our public safety."

A DOJ official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, disputed Oyer's account, telling ABC News the spat over Gibson's gun rights was not a factor in removal.

Gibson's access to guns is prohibited due to a 2011 "no contest" plea he entered to a misdemeanor charge of battering his former girlfriend.

Oyer, who has led the Office of the Pardon Attorney since 2022, told the New York Times she was recently put on a working group tasked with assembling a list of candidates who could have their gun rights restored. After assembling a list that was then circulated to Blanche's office, she was instructed to add Gibson's name, a development that she said was troubling.

"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," Oyer said.

It is not clear whether the recommendation will move forward now that Oyer has been removed. Gibson notably was seen just this weekend alongside FBI Director Kash Patel attending a UFC fight in Las Vegas.

A representative for Gibson did not respond to a request for comment.

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