Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III asks 46 Obama-era federal prosecutors to resign

There is one attorney who is part of this group but isn’t actually an Obama appointee.

Historically, President Ronald Reagan was the first to politicize the role of US Attorney. A spokesman for his office said on Friday afternoon he could not be reached for comment.

If Bharara submits his resignation and it’s accepted, some of the most prominent and hard Justice Department investigations could be disrupted.

A Justice Department spokeswoman said as has been the case in prior transitions, numerous USA attorneys nominated by the previous administration already have left.

In a statement late Friday, Schumer said he was “troubled to learn of reports of requests for resignations from the remaining USA attorneys, particularly that of Preet Bharara”.

While some have resigned, like Robert Capers, U.S. Attorney of the Eastern District of NY, two others, Rod Rosenstein of Maryland and Dana Boente of Virginia, were asked to stay (Rosenstein is Trump’s pick for deputy attorney general while Boente is the acting attorney general).

Preet Bharara, the United States attorney for the Southern District of NY, is among the prosecutors whose resignation President Trump has ordered.

– Brian Kolb (@GOPLdrBrianKolb) March 11, 2017.this according to source familiar w meeting and what @PreetBharara told reporters afterwards. Charles Schumer and told him he wanted to keep Bharara in the post.

The Justice Department (DOJ) announced Friday that Sessions called for the former attorneys to resign.

Fox News notes it is worth mentioning that it is customary but not automatic for the 93 us attorneys to leave their position in the Department of Justice when a new POTUS takes office.

It is customary for US attorneys to depart once a new president is in office, but the departures are not automatic. He was serving as the U.S. Attorney in Alabama at the time.

The federal prosecutors are nominated by the president, generally upon the recommendation of a home-state senator. President Barack Obama, for example, kept Mr. Rosenstein, who had been appointed by President George W. Bush.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is charged with enforcing federal criminal laws in CT and representing the federal government in civil litigation.

The Department of Justice, under Attorney General Jeff Sessions, is cleaning house. In Connecticut, there are 63 assistant USA attorneys at offices in New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport.

Bharara, who has earned the reputation of a “crusader” prosecutor, had met Trump in November after his electoral victory.