Justice Department maneuvers to keep Trump loyalists atop US attorneys' offices in LA and Nevada
The Justice Department has maneuvered in recent days to keep two pro-Trump loyalists in acting leadership positions at the U.S. attorneys' offices in Los Angeles and Nevada, in an effort to extend their tenures beyond a statutory 120-day limit.
According to a Justice Department official, the interim U.S. Attorney for Nevada Sigal Chattah and interim U.S. Attorney for Los Angeles Bill Essayli were both designated as acting U.S. attorneys for their respective offices just before their terms were set to expire and federal judges in the district would convene to appoint their replacements.
The moves are a continuation of what is now becoming a trend for DOJ, as its controversial temporary picks to lead U.S. attorneys' offices around the country face resistance from the federal bench to extend their service.
The department made similar moves in both the District of New Jersey with Trump's former personal attorney Alina Habba, as well as in the Northern District of New York, where John Sarcone III was also appointed "acting" U.S. attorney after judges declined to approve his temporary extension.
The administration recently explained it's legal justification for working around existing statute that requires interim U.S. attorneys to vacate their post after 120 days, essentially setting forth a process in which officials like Chattah, Essayli and Habba resign in order to create a vacancy at the position of U.S. attorney -- followed by their appointment by Trump as a designated "acting" U.S. attorney who can then serve for at least another 210 days.
The maneuvering is already facing legal challenges, though the Justice Department has been adamant that judges should not be in the position to determine who heads up the top prosecutorial offices in districts around the country -- an issue that is only piling up as some of the administration's more controversial nominees face delays and other potential headwinds in the Senate.
Both Chattah and Essayli have faced scrutiny during their short tenures over their lengthy past histories as pro-Trump firebrands, as well as allegations they've sought to weaponize their offices to advance the administration's agenda.
Prior to her tenure, Chattah was accused of making racist remarks describing then-Rep. Jamaal Bowman as a "hood rat" and a "ghetto rat." She also stated that Nevada AG Aaron Ford, who is Black and who Chattah campaigned against in 2022, "should be hanging from a f------- crane."
Chattah denied the accusations she is racist in a recent interview with a CBS affiliate, and said "there's not an extremist bone in my body."
Essayli, who was appointed to his post in early April, has separately faced accusations of politicizing his office by aggressively pursuing charges against protesters of the administration's immigration agenda, resulting in some embarrassing setbacks in court. Essayli has denied his actions are driven by politics.
On Tuesday, his office moved to dismiss charges against Alejandro Orellana, a man charged with allegedly distributing face shields to protesters in LA, whose criminal case was announced with great fanfare by Essayli earlier this month. Trump's supporters cheered the initial move to charge, though many legal experts questioned the use of felony civil disorder statutes being applied to Orellana's alleged actions in distributing the face shields.
Other controversial actions by Essayli have led to resignations by many of the career prosecutors who staff the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles, including a misdemeanor plea deal he entered into with a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who had been convicted of felony assault.
Just hours before the administration extended his tenure on Wednesday, Essayli moved to dismiss a corporate fraud case against Trump donor Andrew Wiederhorn, the founder and chairman of the restaurant chain Fatburger.
