President Donald Trump nominated federal prosecutor Jessie Liu to be associate attorney general.
Liu, a U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, will reportedly monitor the department’s anti-trust and civil rights work, as well as defending the government in litigation, including the President’s decisions.
According to The Wall Street Journal, although the associate attorney general is the third-highest position in the Department of Justice (DOJ), she will not play a role in criminal and national security matters and will also not be involved in the process surrounding special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing probe.
Liu would replace Rachel Brand, who stepped down last year to take a top legal position at Walmart. Brand said at the time that she would have been “very happy to stay” at DOJ but could not give up the Walmart opportunity.
“I was pleased to recommend Jessie Liu to President Trump for the position of Associate Attorney General and am grateful that he has nominated her,” Attorney General William Barr, who was himself confirmed to lead the Justice Department last month, said in a statement Tuesday.
“Jessie has distinguished herself as a first-class attorney in private practice, in the Treasury Department, and in five different positions over her career at the Department of Justice,” Barr said. “Today she leads more than 300 prosecutors at our nation’s largest U.S. Attorney office, where she has achieved significant accomplishments, including prosecuting several significant False Claims Act cases and implementing the Department’s pilot initiative on sexual harassment in public housing. With her record of public service, particularly in civil justice and federal law enforcement matters, it is clear that she will be an outstanding addition to our leadership team at the Department.”
Liu during former President George W. Bush’s term was also working at the DOJ, and at the moment she is prosecuting Roger Stone with the Special Counsel’s team.
Stone is charged with obstructing a congressional investigation, witness tampering, and making false statements.
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