The Trump Justice Department moved swiftly Wednesday to remove the newly installed U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington, firing him less than an hour after he took the oath of office and igniting a fresh dispute over the scope of presidential appointment authority.
Roger Rogoff, a former King County judge with years of experience as both a state and federal prosecutor, was sworn in at the federal courthouse in downtown Seattle after receiving unanimous approval from the district’s 17 federal judges.
Rogoff told the Associated Press by phone that after the ceremony, he headed to the U.S. attorney’s office seeking a meeting with First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Floyd, a former immigration judge, had served as interim U.S. attorney for 120 days, a term that ended in February.
Before that meeting could take place, Rogoff said, an email arrived notifying him that President Trump had removed him from the post.
“District court judges can appoint a temporary U.S. Attorney, and POTUS can fire them,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche posted on X Wednesday evening. “WDWA judges abandoned the time-honored process of consultation with the administration so that the selected U.S. Attorney is qualified to serve in the administration. Roger Rogoff has been fired by the President.”
U.S. attorneys are generally subject to Senate confirmation, but federal law allows interim appointments. When a 120-day interim term expires, the district’s federal judges may select someone to serve as U.S. attorney.
Trump had not formally sent Floyd’s nomination to the Senate, instead keeping him in place as first assistant U.S. attorney — a personnel strategy that mirrors other contentious moves previously attempted by the administration.
“Throughout his career, he has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to public service, and he was appointed legally by the federal judges in the Western District of Washington,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said of Rogoff in a statement. “This administration doesn’t want to deal with advice and consent—they just want to install cronies to carry out a corrupt political agenda.”
In December, Alina Habba resigned as acting US attorney for New Jersey after an appeals court said she had been serving in the post unlawfully since July 2025.
In January, Lindsey Halligan left her position as interim US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after a judge concluded her appointment by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi was unlawful and ordered the dismissal of indictments she secured against New York state Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.
In the Northern District of New York, John Sarcone is currently serving as first assistant US attorney after judges in that district rejected his attempt to make his appointment permanent.
Rogoff said Wednesday he was considering legal action following his firing.
“I’m really proud of my career,” he told AP. “The fact that the judges of this district — most of whom I’ve spent my career appearing in front of, or trying cases against, or working with — believed that I was the right person to do this work is just really humbling and amazing.”
With Post wires
