Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Wednesday that President Trump had fired Roger Rogoff, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington in Seattle, just hours after federal judges in that district had appointed Rogoff to the position. Blanche stated on X that the judges had bypassed the administration's established process for selecting a U.S. attorney.
Rogoff, a former King County Superior Court judge and experienced prosecutor, was sworn into office before 8 a.m. local time. Shortly thereafter, while waiting to meet with the administration's preferred candidate, Charles Neil Floyd, Rogoff received an email informing him of his dismissal by the President. Floyd's interim term had expired in February.
Federal law permits the attorney general to appoint an interim U.S. attorney for 120 days. If this period concludes without a confirmed nominee from the President and Senate, district judges can appoint someone to fill the vacancy. In the Western District of Washington, all 17 active and senior federal judges jointly appointed Rogoff after the Trump administration did not advance Floyd's nomination to the Senate, instead keeping him in place as first assistant U.S. attorney.
U.S. attorneys are typically nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Rogoff, who spent 20 years as a state prosecutor and six as a federal prosecutor before becoming a judge, acknowledged he was aware the administration might remove him immediately upon taking the role. He told The New York Times that he believed the process used by the judges was flawed, stating, "I don’t think it’s the way to run the Department of Justice."
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who had previously opposed Floyd's appointment, criticized Rogoff's rapid dismissal. She issued a statement asserting that Rogoff was legally appointed by the federal judges and suggested the administration was attempting to install its own choices without adhering to the Senate's "advice and consent" role. She accused the administration of seeking to "install cronies to carry out a corrupt political agenda."
Trump administration officials have argued that the Senate's role in "advise and consent" should not be used to unilaterally block the president's administrative priorities and nominees. Rogoff has reportedly retained an employment law firm and is considering legal action over his termination.
This incident in Seattle follows similar disputes in other districts. In New Jersey, Alina Habba resigned as the top federal prosecutor after an appeals court ruled her appointment unlawful. In Virginia, Lindsey Halligan left an acting U.S. attorney position after a judge similarly found her appointment invalid and dismissed indictments she had brought. The administration has also seen court-appointed U.S. attorneys fired in other districts.
Rogoff expressed pride in his career and stated it was humbling that the judges of the district, many of whom he had worked with or appeared before, deemed him the right person for the U.S. attorney position.