Unlike Last Republican Administration, Trump to Nominate U.S. Attorney for D.C., Who Prosecutes Local D.C. Crimes, Without Consulting Norton

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said that, according to a press report, the Trump Administration will nominate Jessie K. Liu to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, without consulting Norton, although she requested consultation, which was the practice of the last Republican administration, under President George W. Bush. Norton said the Trump Administration's failure to consult with her office is particularly unfair considering that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia is responsible for prosecuting almost all local crimes committed by adults in D.C., serving essentially as the local district attorney. Norton said even the territories of the United States all have authority to prosecute local crimes. Norton has introduced a bill to create a local prosecutor's office, designated under local law, to prosecute all local crimes in the District. She has also introduced a bill to require the U.S. Attorney for D.C., as well as other federal officials who serve D.C., to live in the city. Virtually all such officials must live in the district to which they are appointed.

"Once again, the Trump Administration has left the District of Columbia out of the process in selecting a particularly important federal official, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, who uniquely prosecutes nearly all of our local adult crimes here," Norton said. "The Bush Administration particularly recognized the uniqueness of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and its local impact on D.C. residents and asked my opinion, and even gave me the courtesy of interviewing the candidates. It is critical that D.C. residents are involved in the selection process of federal officials nominated to serve them. I again urge the Trump Administration to reconsider its practice in nominating officials who serve the District."

Most recently, in 2016, Liu served as a partner at the law firm Morrison & Foerster, LLP. Notably, from 2002-2006, she served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia From 2009-2016, Liu served as a partner at the law firm Jenner & Block, LLP. From 2006-2009, she served in the U.S. Department of Justice, first as Deputy Chief of Staff in the National Security Division (2006-2007), then as Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General (2007), and finally as Deputy Assistant Attorney General (2007-2009). From 1999-2002, Liu served as an associate at Jenner & Block, LLP. From 1998-1999, she clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Liu received her B.A. from Harvard College and her J.D. from Yale Law School.