President Donald Trump has dismissed Roger Rogoff as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington less than an hour after he was sworn into office, abruptly ending one of the shortest tenures for a federal prosecutor in recent history. Rogoff, a former King County Superior Court judge and longtime federal prosecutor, had been unanimously appointed by federal judges to fill the vacancy.
Rogoff said he received an email titled “A Message From the President” informing him that he was being removed from office shortly after taking the oath. Despite the abrupt dismissal, he described his brief time in the role as “the greatest hour” of his career and said he is reviewing whether the firing was lawful.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the decision, arguing that while federal judges have the authority to appoint a temporary U.S. attorney, the president also has the power to remove that appointee. Blanche criticized the court for selecting Rogoff without consulting the administration.
The firing has intensified a broader dispute between the Trump administration and the federal judiciary over appointments to vacant U.S. attorney positions. Similar conflicts have emerged in several other states, where court-appointed prosecutors have also been removed after taking office.
