Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Jul 16: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed Seattle's newly appointed top federal prosecutor less than an hour after he was unanimously selected by federal judges, escalating tensions between the judiciary and the administration over appointments to key prosecutorial positions.

Roger Rogoff, a former judge and veteran state and federal prosecutor, was sworn in as the US Attorney for the Western District of Washington shortly before 8 am at the federal courthouse in downtown Seattle.

Speaking in a phone interview, Rogoff said he later went to the US Attorney's Office to meet Charles Neil Floyd, whose 120-day interim tenure had ended in February.

While waiting in the office lobby, Rogoff said he received an email from the Trump administration informing him that he had been removed from the post.

He said he is consulting legal experts about challenging the dismissal in court.

US attorneys, who serve as the chief federal prosecutors in judicial districts, are generally appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. However, when temporary appointments expire before Senate confirmation of a nominee, federal judges in the district are empowered to appoint an interim US attorney.

Under the Trump administration, the Justice Department has sought to retain unconfirmed prosecutors in office through alternative administrative arrangements.

Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the decision, stating on social media that while district court judges have the authority to appoint a temporary US attorney, the President also has the authority to dismiss them.

He further accused the judges of bypassing the longstanding practice of consulting the administration before making such appointments.

Trump had appointed Charles Neil Floyd, a former immigration judge, as interim US attorney in October last year but did not send his nomination to the Senate for confirmation. After Floyd's interim appointment expired, the administration redesignated him as First Assistant US Attorney while leaving the top position officially vacant, a move it has adopted in several judicial districts.

In May, a US appeals court expressed doubts about the legality of that arrangement. Subsequently, federal judges in the Western District of Washington invited applications for the position and constituted a bipartisan panel to evaluate candidates.

On Wednesday, the district court, comprising 17 active and senior judges appointed by five different presidents, unanimously appointed Rogoff as US attorney.

Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington criticised the administration's decision, saying Rogoff had demonstrated an exemplary commitment to public service and had been legally appointed by the federal judiciary.

"This administration doesn't want to deal with advice and consent—they just want to install cronies to carry out a corrupt political agenda," Murray said in a statement.

The incident follows similar developments in other states.

In December, Alina Habba stepped down as the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey after an appeals court ruled that she had been serving unlawfully.

In Virginia, Lindsey Halligan left her position as acting US attorney after a judge held that her appointment was unlawful and ordered the dismissal of indictments she had filed against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.

The judges in Virginia subsequently appointed James Hundley, a veteran prosecutor with more than three decades of experience, but the administration later removed him. It also dismissed a court-appointed US attorney in northern New York.

Rogoff, who served for 20 years as a state prosecutor, six years as a federal prosecutor and later as a state judge, said he had anticipated the possibility of an immediate dismissal but had accepted the appointment regardless.

"I'm really proud of my career. The fact that the judges of this district — most of whom I've spent my career appearing in front of, or trying cases against, or working with — believed that I was the right person to do this work is just really humbling and amazing," he said.