DOJ Statement:
“As was the case in prior transitions, many of the United States Attorneys nominated by the previous administration already have left the Department of Justice. The Attorney General has now asked the remaining 46 presidentially appointed U.S. Attorneys to tender their resignations in order to ensure a uniform transition. Until the new U.S. Attorneys are confirmed, the dedicated career prosecutors in our U.S. Attorney’s Offices will continue the great work of the Department in investigating, prosecuting, and deterring the most violent offenders.”
The DOJ declined to comment on specific U.S. attorney posts.
The DOJ resignation requests are typical of transitions, especially when there is a change in party. Different administrations manage the process in slightly different ways, but the result is similar. However, just because a resignation is tendered is not a guarantee that the resignation will be accepted. Some U.S. attorneys stay on to serve in the new administration. President Donald Trump’s nominee for Deputy Attorney General, Rod Rosenstein, was appointed as U.S. Attorney by President George W. Bush and stayed on to serve in the Obama administration for eight years.
Sessions received a similar resignation request from then-Attorney General Janet Reno when he was serving as U.S. Attorney in Alabama. His letter was dated March 23, 1993.
AP and ABC News contributed to this report.