Folks, I’m sipping my coffee and trying to wrap my head around this one. President Donald Trump fired the new top US prosecutor in Seattle, Roger Rogoff, less than an hour after he was unanimously appointed by the federal judges in the district. I mean, that’s got to be some kind of record. Rogoff was sworn in as US attorney before 8 a.m. at the courthouse in downtown Seattle, and by the time he got to the US Attorney’s Office, he was already out of a job. You can’t make this stuff up.
I’m reading through this article, and it’s like a game of musical chairs, but instead of chairs, it’s US attorneys. Trump named Charles Neil Floyd, a former immigration judge, as interim US attorney last October, but never forwarded his nomination to the Senate. Then, when Floyd’s time as interim US attorney expired, Trump just shifted his title to first assistant US attorney, leaving the top post empty. It’s like he’s trying to keep the position open for someone else, but who knows who that someone else is.
The federal judges in Seattle decided to take matters into their own hands and appointed Rogoff, a former judge and veteran state and federal prosecutor, as the new US attorney. But, of course, the Trump administration wasn’t having it. Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the judges who appointed Rogoff “abandoned the time-honored process of consultation with the administration” and that the president has the power to fire them. Okay, got it.
It’s not like this is the first time something like this has happened. In December, Alina Habba resigned as the top federal prosecutor for New Jersey after an appeals court said she had been serving in the post unlawfully. And let’s not forget about Lindsey Halligan, who left her position as an acting US attorney in Virginia after a judge concluded her appointment was unlawful. It’s like the Trump administration is playing a game of “US Attorney Roulette.”
Rogoff, on the other hand, seems like a stand-up guy. He’s been a state prosecutor, a federal prosecutor, and even a state judge. He said he knew the administration might fire him immediately, but he had no qualms about the potential conflict he was walking into. Being US attorney is “the best job there is” for a prosecutor, he said. I’ve got to admire his spirit.
Democratic Washington Sen. Patty Murray is blasting Rogoff’s quick firing, saying that the administration doesn’t want to deal with advice and consent and just wants to install cronies to carry out a corrupt political agenda. She’s got a point, but at this point, it’s just more of the same old, same old.
In conclusion, it’s been a wild ride, folks. The Trump administration is playing games with the US attorney positions, and it’s getting old. Rogoff got fired before he even had a chance to get comfortable in his new role, and it’s just another example of the chaos that’s going on in Washington. As I finish my coffee, I’m left thinking, “What’s next?” and “Who’s going to be the next US attorney to get the axe?” 🙄. Somewhere in Atlanta, a producer is thinking, “This is going to make for great TV.”
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
