Biden to Ask 56 Trump-Appointed U.S. Attorneys for Resignations

(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden’s Justice Department is preparing to ask most U.S. attorneys appointed by former President Donald Trump to resign their positions while asking two officials working on politically sensitive cases to stay on.

The department plans to make the request to Trump nominees as early as Tuesday, a department official said on condition of anonymity to preview the move.

Replacing top prosecutors is a standard process of a new administration that seeks to put its own stamp on U.S. attorneys’ offices across the country. The timeline for the officials to depart is weeks.

The decision, which was reported earlier by CNN, is expected to affect 56 Senate-confirmed U.S. attorneys. There are 93 U.S. attorneys, according to the Justice Department.

Despite the overhaul, the Biden administration is asking U.S. Attorney David Weiss in Delaware to continue in office. Weiss is overseeing the tax investigation of Hunter Biden, the president’s son. Acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson made that request of Weiss during a Monday night call, the department official said.

John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, will be asked to step down from that position but will continue in his role as special counsel looking into the origins of the investigation into Trump’s dealings with Russia, the official said.

Earlier: Biden Taps Ex-Supreme Court Nominee Garland for Attorney General

In 2017, at the start of the Trump administration, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions asked 46 U.S. attorneys appointed by President Barack Obama to submit their resignations. Most had to leave their jobs immediately although some were given time to finish their work.

Merrick Garland, Biden’s nominee for attorney general, has yet to have his confirmation hearing.

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