Lawyer fired by Trump White House after 54 minutes files lawsuit
A lawyer has sued the Trump administration after he was fired from his role less than an hour after he was appointed.
Roger Rogoff had been named as the US attorney for the Western District of Washington, the top federal prosecutor for the region.
Roger Rogoff served as a judge in King County, Washington before being appointed as US Attorney. AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
The position had been vacant since February 2025, with the Trump administration expected to nominate someone to fill the role.
That nominee would then need to be confirmed by the Senate before taking the role.
But after more than a year without a nomination, a panel of judges in the district placed Rogoff into the role last week.
Despite the unanimous appointment by the judges, he was fired via email from the White House less than an hour after it was announced.
“It was the greatest 54 minutes of my life,” Rogoff told MS NOW.
Rogoff served as a local and federal prosecutor for 20 years before becoming a judge himself.
In his lawsuit, Rogoff argued that under the law, he could not be fired as acting US attorney until a Senate-confirmed appointment could replace him.
“Defendants’ attempt to fire him cannot stand,” the lawsuit read.
Todd Blanche is under a disciplinary investigation by the state bar of New York despite being acting attorney-general. AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
Trump’s acting attorney-general Todd Blanche defended Rogoff’s sacking.
“District court judges can appoint a temporary US attorney, and (the president) can fire them,” Blanche wrote.
“Judges abandoned the time-honoured process of consultation with the administration so that the selected US attorney is qualified to serve in the administration.
“Roger Rogoff has been fired by the president.”
The office is now being run by the first assistant US attorney, Charles Neil Floyd.
In his lawsuit, Rogoff wrote that Floyd was “the president’s chosen pick”.
But in spite of this, Floyd has not been nominated for the US attorney position and thus, not confirmed by the Senate.
In the narrowly divided Senate, nominees can be forced to answer awkward or difficult questions.
President Donald Trump’s White House fired Roger Rogoff after an hour. AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
With Trump’s support dipping among the Republican Senate caucus, it is not a guarantee his nominees will be confirmed.
Blanche himself is facing a battle for his own confirmation, and is facing serious questions about his handling of the Epstein case.
Two dozen victims of Jeffrey Epstein have written to two undecided Republican senators urging them not to confirm Blanche.
Blanche has faced serious questions after the release of the Epstein files identified victims whose names should have been redacted, and possibly redacted names of suspects who should have been identified.
“Survivors received an hour of deflection, interruption and gaslighting,” they wrote of their meeting with Blanche.
“Todd Blanche showed no remorse for the horrific release of materials that exposed survivors’ identities and images.
“He also gave no indication that he believed there were investigative leads worth pursuing, or that he intended to seek accountability beyond Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.”
Blanche was also responsible for ordering the transfer of Maxwell to a cushy minimum-security facility after the two had a discussion. The details of that conversation have not been disclosed.
DOCUMENTED REFERENCES
Exploring Documented Records
Public interest in the Epstein case continues not only because of court proceedings and testimonies, but also due to the growing body of documented records that help researchers and readers understand the broader context. Beyond legal files and media reports, some independent projects have organized publicly available data connected to Epstein’s activities.
One example is a structured archive of documented Amazon order records, where purchases are cataloged with dates and product details. While individual items do not prove wrongdoing on their own, examining documented information alongside established facts helps paint a clearer picture of the environment and circumstances surrounding the case.
Browse the structured archive of documented order records
For readers looking to review primary-source style data rather than interpretations, exploring compiled records can provide additional context to the broader discussion.
