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Oregon attorney Billy J. Williams, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump in November 2017, was among U.S. lawyers tasked Tuesday to resign as the Biden administration seeks to replace them.
“In a call to all U.S. prosecutors this morning, Acting Attorney General Wilkinson asked most of the President-appointed U.S. prosecutors, including U.S. Attorney Williams, to submit their resignations effective February 28, 2021 Said Kevin Sonoff, spokesperson for the Oregon attorney’s office. .
“Our office is taking all necessary steps to ensure a smooth transition and will provide more information soon.”
The first US Deputy Prosecutor, Scott Asphaug, is expected to resume the post of acting senior prosecutor on February 28 before a new appointment is made.
“Until the nominees for US prosecutors are confirmed, the acting and interim leaders of the US prosecutor’s offices will ensure that the ministry continues to fulfill its crucial law enforcement mission,” the rule of law and the pursuit of a fair and impartial administration of justice for all, ”Acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson said in a statement on Tuesday.
US Senator Ron Wyden is working with US Senator Jeff Merkley to appoint a selection committee to interview and recommend candidates for the position. They will then recommend that the finalists pass them on to the Biden administration for selection, according to the two Democratic senators.
“Both Senators thank Billy Williams for nearly six years of service in Oregon in this position as the state’s senior federal law enforcement official,” according to a joint statement from the Senators’ Offices.
Among the names that have surfaced as potential Williams successors:
- Assistant US Attorney Craig Gabriel, Deputy Head of the Bureau’s Criminal Division, who has worked as a federal prosecutor since 2007 and previously worked in civil litigation and criminal defense for two law firms.
- Renata Gowie, head of the bureau’s civil division who had recently run for a seat as a federal appellate judge.
- Dwight Holton, a former acting U.S. prosecutor in Oregon who previously worked as a deputy federal prosecutor in New York and Portland before leading the nonprofit Lines for Life that works to prevent drug addiction and suicide.
- U.S. Assistant Attorney Ethan Knight, a veteran federal prosecutor and former deputy district attorney who unsuccessfully appeared at Multnomah County District Attorney’s seat this year.
- Donna Maddux, who spent eight years as a federal prosecutor after working for the Oregon Department of Justice for 10 years, is months away from a new job in data privacy and law. cybersecurity for a private practice.
- Vivek Kothari, who handles civil litigation as a partner at Markowitz Herbold and co-founded the Oregon Clemency Project last year. He previously spent five years as a federal prosecutor in Atlanta.
- John Hummel, who was first elected Deschutes County District Attorney in 2014 and re-elected in 2018. He was previously director of state and federal policy for the Oregon Primary Care Association.
Williams, 64, served as Acting U.S. Attorney after replacing Amanda Marshall in April 2015 before being appointed by Trump on November 17, 2017 and confirmed by the Senate in March 2018. He joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in October 2000 after serving as Deputy District Attorney of Multnomah County.
Over the past month, Williams has sought to retain his post, asking supporters to submit letters on his behalf, expressing his desire to remain in the seat.
Still, all Senate-confirmed Trump-era candidates have been asked to resign, except for two top prosecutors in Delaware and Connecticut who oversee Trump-era investigations.
Connecticut U.S. Attorney John H. Durham will continue to serve as special adviser in the probe into the origins of the Trump-Russia inquiry, but is being asked to step down as U.S. attorney, according to The Hartford Current. Delaware US attorney David C. Weiss, whose office is leading a tax investigation into Biden’s son Hunter Biden, will remain in office.
It’s common for new presidents to replace American lawyers, and Williams’ request to leave was long overdue.
In recent years, Williams has clashed with Portland city officials.
His decision last year to maintain the federal deputy of Portland’s 50 police officers, despite the city’s objection and its request to drop federal authority given to local officers, has led to a lawsuit against the US Department of Justice.
In July, he called a “senseless political theater” that Portland city officials ban local police collaboration with federal officers during protests and urged local residents to demand that “violent extremists” stop working. attempt to cross the barrier erected around the federal courthouse. He also pursued rare charges of federal civil unrest against more than a dozen people involved in the protests last year.
In February 2019, Williams called it a “bogus error” after city council voted to remove Portland Police from the FBI-led Joint Task Force on Terrorism.
When he first took the job, Williams oversaw the federal pursuit of Ammon Bundy and other leaders of the 41-day armed takeover of Woe National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon. .
Bundy and six other defendants charged in the armed takeover were acquitted in a trial in October 2016, found not guilty of conspiring to prevent federal employees from doing their jobs by intimidation, threat or force. A second trial resulted in guilty verdicts on at least one felony charge against each of the other four defendants who played more minor roles in March 2017.
– Maxine Bernstein
Email to [email protected]; 503-221-8212
Follow on Twitter @ maxoregonian
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