Trump fires court-appointed Seattle U.S. attorney within an hour

President Donald Trump removed Roger Rogoff as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington less than an hour after federal judges in Seattle swore him in Wednesday, turning a long-running vacancy into a direct fight over who controls temporary federal prosecutor appointments. [0]

Rogoff, a former King County Superior Court judge and longtime state and federal prosecutor, was appointed by the district’s judges under a statute that lets courts fill a U.S. attorney vacancy after an interim appointment expires. The Seattle Times reported that he was sworn in at 7:40 a.m. and fired 54 minutes later while waiting at the federal courthouse to meet Charles Neil Floyd, the Trump-backed official who had continued leading the office as first assistant U.S. attorney. nbcnews

The Justice Department defended the move. KING 5 reported that the department called the firing “wholly within the President’s authority,” while acting Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote that district judges may appoint a temporary U.S. attorney but “POTUS can fire them.” seattletimes Blanche also said the judges had bypassed the usual consultation process with the administration. king5

Rogoff said the dismissal was “not unexpected, but disappointing,” and told local outlets he was weighing legal action. The Western Washington office has lacked a Senate-confirmed U.S. attorney since Nick Brown resigned in 2023, and the dispute now centers on whether the administration can keep preferred interim leaders in place without a nomination and confirmation process. seattletimes

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., called Rogoff “eminently qualified” and said he had been legally appointed by federal judges. Her statement framed the firing as part of a broader attempt to avoid Senate advice and consent, while local reports noted similar clashes over court-appointed prosecutors in other districts. fox13seattle The immediate result is uncertainty over who has lawful authority to lead one of Washington state’s main federal law-enforcement offices. king5