Move comes as Interim U.S. Attorney term was set to expire at 120 days
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) released the following statement denouncing President Trump’s U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for wrongfully using the Vacancy Act to extend the term of Interim U.S. Attorney for New Mexico Ryan Ellison, while also simultaneously seeking his Senate-confirmation – a deliberate attempt to circumvent a Senate- or District Court-vetted appointment.
“Today, President Trump and his Department of Justice bypassed the Senate to extend the term of their pick for federal prosecutor. While we are committed to reviewing his application and credentials, we are extremely concerned by this administration’s continuing willingness to trample the role of the Judiciary and Congress. And we urge the Senate Judiciary Committee Chair and Ranking Member to continue to enforce the blue slip process so that we can do our best to ensure fair, impartial, and independent federal prosecutions in New Mexico. We cannot simply look the other way while President Trump pretends to care about the Rule of Law while obliterating it at every turn.”
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