Top Trump official fires US attorney less than five hours into job
A freshly-appointed U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of
New York was abruptly fired by the Trump administration on Wednesday evening, just hours after accepting the post from a panel of federal judges.
Donald Kinsella, a veteran prosecutor, had been sworn in by Chief Judge Brenda K Sannes in a private virtual ceremony earlier in the day, only to then receive an email from Morgan Dewitt, a special assistant in the White House personnel office, advising him he was being removed,
according to The Albany Times Union.
“Judges don’t pick U.S. Attorneys, POTUS does,” Deputy Attorney General
Todd Blanche wrote on X. “See Article II of our Constitution. You are fired, Donald Kinsella.”
Kinsella, 79, subsequently
told The New York Times that he was not certain whether his removal was legal and said he would consult with the Northern District judges on Thursday about next steps.
Kinsella had been chosen as the replacement for John A Sarcone III, who was appointed to the position on an interim basis last year by Attorney General
Pam Bondi, rather than being formally nominated by President
Donald Trump, which would have required a Senate confirmation hearing.