DOJ ‘will ask majority of Trump-appointed US attorneys to resign’

Move is common among new administrations

The Justice Department is expected to ask 56 US attorneys appointed by former President Donald Trump to submit their resignations, according to CNN.

Two attorneys expected to be saved as part of the move are top prosecutors involved in sensitive cases, who started investigations during Mr Trump’s time in office.

In a call on Monday night, acting attorney general Monty Wilkinson asked Delaware US attorney David Weiss, who is overseeing the tax investigation into President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden, to remain in his role, according to CNN.

While John Durham, who was appointed by former attorney general William Barr to investigate the origins of the investigation into alleged collusion between Mr Trump and Russia, will continue on that task, but is expected to resign as US attorney in Connecticut.

Read more: Follow live Trump impeachment updates

Acting US attorney for Washington, DC, Michael Sherwin, who was appointed by Mr Barr, will also stay on to continue his investigation into the Capitol riots on 6 January.

Of the 94 US attorneys serving in the US, 25 of them are in acting positions after several of Mr Trump’s appointees resigned following his defeat in November 2020’s presidential election.

Officials in the Justice Department have scheduled a call with US attorneys on Tuesday to discuss the transition, which is expected to take weeks to implement.

Although the request will apply to 56 of the US attorneys appointed by Mr Trump, the move is seen as standard for a new administration.

At the start of Mr Trump’s presidency, his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, asked 46 of US attorneys appointed by former President Barack Obama to resign.

Although a minority of those attorneys were able to stay in their role for a few more weeks, a majority were made to leave their position immediately.

Mr Biden has still not been able to schedule a confirmation hearing for Merrick Garland, his nominee for the position of US attorney general, as Mr Trump’s second impeachment trial clashed with the proposed date.

The Independent has contacted the Justice Department for comment.