President Donald Trump fired the top federal prosecutor in Seattle within an hour of his unanimous appointment by the local district court on Wednesday, the latest clash between the Trump administration and the nation’s judiciary over who should lead regional U.S. attorney’s offices.
Local federal judges appointed Roger Rogoff, a veteran prosecutor, as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington to replace interim Trump appointee Charles Neil Floyd.
Floyd’s interim tenure expired in February, but instead of pushing his nomination to the Senate for confirmation, the Trump administration changed his title to “first assistant U.S. attorney” and fired his replacement, effectively leaving Floyd in the job indefinitely.
It is a strategy the second Trump administration has used across the country to keep its handpicked prosecutors in positions of power — much to the vexation of the judiciary. By law, local district courts choose a temporary prosecutor to serve as U.S. attorneys after an interim appointment ends. That prosecutor serves until a candidate chosen by the president is confirmed by the Senate.
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Rogoff told The Associated Press he was sworn in before 8 a.m. Wednesday at a federal courthouse in downtown Seattle. Less than an hour later, as he waited in a lobby to meet with Floyd, Rogoff said, he received an email informing him he had been fired.
Rogoff said he was considering legal action to challenge his removal.
“I’m really proud of my career,” Rogoff told the AP. “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.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is facing a confirmation hearing in the Senate this week, said in a social media post that presidents have the authority to fire temporary appointees.
“[Western District of Washington] judges abandoned the time-honored process of consultation with the administration so that the selected U.S. Attorney is qualified to serve in the administration,” Blanche wrote. “Roger Rogoff has been fired by the President.”
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington), who had opposed Floyd’s appointment, said Rogoff was “eminently qualified” for the position.
“He should have never been fired, but the President wants to appoint an out-of-touch extremist who will put Trump over the rule of law,” Murray said in a statement. “This administration doesn’t want to deal with advice and consent—they just want to install cronies to carry out a corrupt political agenda. The people of Washington state deserve someone in this role who will enforce the law fairly and responsibly — not some Trump administration sock puppet.”
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