Trump fires Seattle prosecutor an hour after judges appointed him

WASHINGTON (MNTV) — President Donald Trump fired Roger Rogoff as US attorney for the Western District of Washington less than an hour after a panel of federal judges unanimously appointed him, escalating a running fight over who controls federal prosecutors.

Rogoff, a former federal prosecutor and state judge, was sworn in on Wednesday morning after 17 judges selected him through a public application process. The removal notice from the administration arrived almost immediately.

The clash turns on who may appoint temporary US attorneys when the Senate has not confirmed a nominee.

The administration argues the president can remove court-appointed prosecutors at will; experts say it is using procedural maneuvers to sidestep both judicial oversight and Senate confirmation.

The judges had stepped in precisely because the administration’s earlier workaround — keeping Charles Neil Floyd in the role through a temporary appointment after his interim term expired — was itself facing legal challenge.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the firing, saying the judges had bypassed consultation with the administration. But the judges acted under authority the law gives them, which is the point of the mechanism: it exists so the executive cannot simply install its own prosecutor indefinitely without the Senate’s sign-off.

The episode is one of several. Trump has installed acting prosecutors in other districts who were later challenged, and courts have repeatedly questioned the legality of the approach. Washington Senator Patty Murray accused the administration of gutting established procedure in favor of loyalty. Rogoff said he took the job knowing he might be dismissed, because he saw it as public service worth doing. He lasted under an hour.