President Donald Trump fired the newly appointed top federal prosecutor for the Western District of Washington, with the move coming less than an hour after regional judges swore him into office.
Roger Rogoff, a former King County Superior Court judge and veteran prosecutor, took his oath of office at approximately 7:40 a.m. at the federal courthouse in Seattle on Wednesday. Merely 54 minutes later, while waiting in the building’s lobby to assume his duties from the previous interim director, Rogoff received an email notifying him of his immediate removal. The swift ouster has set the stage for a potential legal challenge regarding who possesses the ultimate authority to appoint interim federal prosecutors when formal nominations stall.
The conflict stems from a federal law allowing local district judges to collectively appoint a temporary U.S. attorney when a vacancy persists without a Senate-confirmed successor. Seattle’s bench of 17 judges had acted unanimously to appoint Rogoff after the 120-day interim term of Trump’s initial choice, Charles Neil Floyd, expired in February without a formal nomination being sent to the Senate. Following the expiration, the administration had designated Floyd as “first assistant” to bypass Senate confirmation, a tactical maneuver that has drawn scrutiny from federal appeals courts.
Defending the president’s swift action, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche asserted that the White House holds the authority to override judicial appointments. In a statement posted on X, Blanche stated, “District court judges can appoint a temporary U.S. Attorney, and POTUS can fire them.” He further contended that the district’s 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.”
The decision sparked immediate blowback from local lawmakers and legal experts. Washington Senator Patty Murray strongly condemned the firing, asserting that “Roger Rogoff is eminently qualified — throughout his career, he has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to public service, and he was appointed legally by the federal judges in the Western District of Washington.” Murray went on to criticize the administration’s placement of temporary political allies over standard protocol, stating, “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.”
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