Trump tactics leave federal prosecutors’ offices rudderless

At least nine U.S. attorneys offices are being led indefinitely by the No. 2, according to a POLITICO analysis.

Department of Justice headquarters is pictured in Washington on Nov. 11, 2024. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

Prominent federal prosecutors’ offices around the country are operating without permanent leaders, as the Trump administration keeps trying to install loyalists — and courts keep rejecting them.

Some offices have seen as many as three (northern district of New York), four (eastern district of Virginia) or even five (New Jersey) different U.S. attorneys or leadership structures in the past year. In New York and Virginia, top prosecutors were in place for mere hours. In some instances, the Trump administration’s moves have directly undermined active investigations or cases, by prompting judges to quash subpoenas and even dismiss high-profile indictments in addition to disqualifying prosecutors.

And the fallout after adverse rulings continues: Prosecutors in New Jersey have been forced to seek superseding indictments in cases brought under a disqualified U.S. attorney, in order to prevent those cases from being dismissed. And a batch of indictments remains under threat in Nevada, where defendants are asking an appeals court to throw out cases brought under a disqualified U.S. attorney.

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