Trump Bypassing Senate and Courts to Install US Attorneys- Congress Must Act!

The President has effectively sidestepped or overridden both the Senate confirmation and judicial appointment processes for selecting U.S. attorneys in offices in Los Angeles, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico and upstate New York. When Trump’s nominees can’t get confirmed by the Senate, as required by federal law, the administration installs them on a temporary basis as “interim” U.S. attorneys, who are legally allowed to serve for 120 days. And when district judges reject Trump’s choices by exercising a 160-year-old power allowing them to appoint someone to the office after an interim U.S. attorney’s term ends, the administration has in a few cases voided the judges’ decision and reinstalled Trump’s desired prosecutor as an “acting” U.S. attorney, who can serve for an additional 210 days beyond the initial 120-day interim period. He is bypassing precedent and the intention of the law, and rigging the judicial system to allow him to accumulate papers and break law without check or balance. Do not give away your power like this- Congress must act now to stop his unlawful power grab.