Trump-appointed US attorney resigns in Georgia

ATLANTA (AP) – The top federal prosecutor in Atlanta left his post on Monday, a day after an audio recording was made public in which President Donald Trump called him a “never-trucker.”

Byung J. “BJay” Pak, appointed by Trump, announced in a news release his resignation as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. The statement did not say why Pak was leaving or what he planned to do next.

“It was the greatest honor of my professional career to be able to serve my fellow citizens as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia,” Pak said in the release. ‘I have done my best to be considerate and consistent and to give justice to my fellow citizens in a fair, effective and efficient manner. I am grateful to President Trump and the United States Senate for the opportunity to serve, and to former Attorney General Sessions and Barr for their leadership of the department. ”

Trump called Georgia State Secretary Brad Raffensperger on Saturday, during which the president suggested that the state’s leading election official find enough votes to block the outcome of the presidential race in his favor. A recording of the call was obtained Sunday by news outlets, including The Associated Press.

During the hour-long call, Trump made numerous false claims. Referring to investigations into his unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud, the president said, “You have your non-Trump American attorney there.”

Pak was sworn in as a U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Georgia in Atlanta in October 2017 after being appointed by Trump. Pak was a Republican lawmaker from 2011 to 2017, served as an assistant U.S. attorney from 2002 to 2008, and was employed in private practice at the time of his appointment.

In announcing Pak’s nomination, the White House said he and five other U.S. attorney nominees shared ‘the president’s vision’ to make America safe again ‘. “

A Justice Department spokesman on Monday did not immediately respond to questions about what aroused Pak’s sudden resignation, or whether acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen asked for the departure.

Pak’s resignation comes almost a month after the departure of Charlie Peeler, who was appointed by Trump in 2017 to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Macon-based Central District of Georgia. Peeler resigned on Dec. 11 and said in a news release that he plans to return to a private practice at an Atlanta law firm.

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