The U.S.attorney who was fired last week after less than an hour on the job sued the Trump administration Tuesday, arguing he should be allowed to serve until a permanent successor is named.Subscribe to read this story ad-freeGet unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Shortly after he was sworn in last week as the top government attorney in the Western District of Washington, Roger Rogoff was informed that President Donald Trump had fired him.Rogoff, a former judge who also was a state and federal prosecutor, was unanimously appointed by a panel of federal judges to fill the job, in line with federal law, after the position in Seattle had been vacant for months.In his lawsuit, which names Trump, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and the Justice Department as defendants, Rogoff asked a federal judge to declare the firing “unlawful” and allow him to resume his assignment as U.S.
attorney until the vacancy is filled by way of presidential nomination and Senate confirmation.The White House referred questions about the lawsuit to the Justice Department.A spokesperson for the Justice Department said the district court did not follow proper protocol by not consulting the Justice Department on its selection.“The district court did not coordinate with DOJ on this selection.
Consistent with other firings of this type, this is wholly within the President’s authority,” the spokesperson said in a statement.Blanche said Wednesday on X, “District court judges can appoint a temporary U.S.Attorney, and POTUS can fire them.”He went on to argue that the panel of federal judges in Rogoff’s case “abandoned the time-honored process of consultation with the administration so that the selected U.S.
Attorney is qualified to serve in the administration.”Rogoff’s attorneys argue that his firing violated federal law, which says a district court can appoint a U.S.attorney if an appointment expires and the role remains vacant.
The lawsuit adds tha...