Biden administration will ask remaining Trump-appointed U.S. attorneys to step down — with few exceptions – By Matt Zapotosky (Washington Post) / Feb 9 2021
The Biden administration as early as Tuesday is expected to ask remaining U.S. attorneys appointed by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the Senate to begin stepping down — though the Trump-appointed federal prosecutor investigating Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son, as well as the prosecutor reviewing the FBI’s 2016 investigation of Trump’s campaign, will be allowed to continue their work, a Justice Department official said.
While President Biden always was expected to install his own U.S. attorneys at federal prosecutor’s offices across the country, the move is an indication that he intends to purge those whose politics might be more aligned with Trump’s sooner rather than later.
While many U.S. attorneys appointed by Trump and confirmed by the Senate stepped down before the transition, others remained in their posts, and the administration had previously asked them to stay on while Biden decided what to do.
The Justice Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel moves that had not yet been announced, said Biden’s request would be made of those U.S. attorneys both appointed by Trump and confirmed by the Senate.
