President Trump on Wednesday removed Roger Rogoff from his role as the top federal prosecutor in Seattle, shortly after judges in western Washington had appointed him to the job. The rapid reversal put a spotlight on the process for filling one of the Justice Department’s key local posts.
Rogoff had been installed as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington by judges on the federal district court covering the region. Not long afterward, Trump fired him, ending what appears to have been a very brief tenure in the position.
The episode stands out because the appointment came from the court rather than through the more typical political path tied to the White House. That sequence made the dismissal notable, as it unfolded immediately after the judges’ action in Seattle.
The move adds another twist to the leadership situation for the federal prosecutor’s office in western Washington. With Rogoff out, attention is likely to shift to who will lead the office next and how the administration handles the post going forward.
