2017 dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy

On March 10, 2017, Jeff Sessions, who was appointed United States Attorney General by President Donald Trump, requested the resignations of 46 United States Attorneys. Sessions' move came less than 24 hours after Sean Hannity, the Fox News commentator and host of The Sean Hannity Show, called for the "immediate expulsion", or a "purge", of Barack Obama appointees at the United States Justice Department in his show's opening monologue. Some resignations may be rejected by Sessions or Trump.
# George Beck, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama
# Lee Bentley, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida
# Daniel Bogden, U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada
# Kenyen Brown, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama
# Mike Cotter, U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana
# Christopher Crofts, U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming
# Gregory Davis, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi
# Thomas E. Delahanty II, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine
# Tammy Dickinson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri
# Zachary Fardon, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois
# Stephanie Finley, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana
# Paul Fishman, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey
# Deborah Gilg, U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska
# John Huber, U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah
# Alicia Limtiaco, U.S. Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands
# Andy Luger, U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota
# Barbara McQuade, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan
# Kenneth Magidson, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
# Damon Martinez, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico
# Florence Nakakuni, U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii
# Peter Neronha, U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island
# Charles Oberly, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware
# Michael Ormsby, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington
# Kenneth Polite, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana
# Carole Rendon, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
# Emily Gray Rice, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire
# Rod Rosenstein, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland
# Ronald Sharpe, U.S. Attorney for the District Court of the Virgin Islands
# Danny Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma
Reactions
Media
Initial media reports described Sessions' move as abrupt and unexpected, but not unprecedented. Slate Leon Neyfakh accused media outlets of sensationalizing Sessions' actions, which he said were "nothing particularly unusual or surprising", and noted the mass firings of U.S. attorneys accompanying each presidential transition.
The Washington Post contrasted the Trump administration's decision with those of George W. Bush and Barack Obama, who replaced U.S. attorneys gradually.
Politicians
Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) criticized the "abrupt firing" and said, "Under previous administrations, orderly transitions allowed U.S. attorneys to leave gradually as their replacements were chosen. This was done to protect the independence of our prosecutors and avoid disrupting ongoing federal cases. At a time when Attorney General Sessions has recused himself from major investigations into the Trump campaign, the independence of federal prosecutors could not be more important."
Tim Purdon, who served as U.S. attorney for the District of North Dakota from 2010 to 2015, said: "The way the Obama administration handled it was appropriate and respectful and classy. This saddens me because many of these people are great public servants and now they are being asked to leave."
Resignees
Bharara said he was fired and did not resign. He had been asked to maintain his position in November 2016 by then President-elect Trump.
In his resignation statement, Capers wrote, "This afternoon, I was instructed to resign my position as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, effective March 10, 2017. It has been my greatest honor to serve my country, New York City and the people of this district for almost 14 years, with the last 17 months serving as United States Attorney."
Capp said in a written statement, "After 31 years at the United States Attorney’s office I have submitted my resignation as United States Attorney. I had advised my office last summer that it was my plan to retire in 2017. I had been looking toward a June retirement, so this is just a few months earlier. It has been my greatest honor and privilege to serve all these years. The work we do in the United States Attorney’s Office has such an important positive impact on the citizens of northern Indiana. I want to thank the men and women of the USAO for their dedication and professionalism, day-in and day-out."<ref name=SBT/>
Cotter said, "I think it's very unprofessional and I'm very disappointed. What happened today on Friday, March 10, that was so important that all Obama appointees who are US attorneys need to be gone? I gotta write that (resignation) letter. It's going to be a one-liner."<ref name=USA/>
Daly's office released a statement which said, "It has been a great honor and privilege to serve as Connecticut's United States Attorney. In fact, it has been a gift of a lifetime. I am extremely proud of the tremendous accomplishments of the men and women of this office during my tenure."<ref name=Mahony/>
Fishman said in his statement, "It has been the greatest professional experience that I can possibly imagine to have served in this office for the past seven-and-a-half years. Having spent so much of my career working to protect the interests of the people of New Jersey, I can think of no greater form of public service. I am enormously grateful for the opportunity I was given to lead the men and women who work in this office. They are the most extraordinary group of public servants I have ever known, and I am more than honored to have been their colleague."<ref name=NJ/>
Magidson's release said, "It has been privilege and an honor to serve as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. It has been a hallmark of my administration to ensure that our office lived up to the ideals of justice. The ability to everyday protect the interests of the United States has truly been a great blessing and a hallmark of my career. I am confident that our office will continue to live up to these ideals."<ref name=Brownsville/>
McQuade said, "I have loved serving in this job as much as anyone has ever loved any job. It has been an incredible privilege to work alongside public servants who devote their tremendous talents to improving the quality of life in our community. I am proud to have served as U.S. Attorney in the Obama Administration."<ref name=Burns/>

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