Baldwin Opposes Schimel Staying in Top Federal Prosecutor Job After 120 Day Interim Position Expires

Trump bypassed Baldwin and Johnson’s bipartisan nominating commission and installed Schimel to be the interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced her opposition to Brad Schimel continuing to serve as interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin after his 120-day temporary appointment expires in two weeks. While U.S. Attorney positions require Senate-approval, President Trump installed Schimel to be the interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Interim appointments are limited to only 120 days; however, the Trump administration has tried to skirt this law to keep other interim U.S. Attorneys, who are ardent supporters of the President, in place longer.
“Senator Johnson previouslyraised concernswith our justice system becoming ‘increasingly populated with political partisans who are incapable of administering justice equally,’ and I share those exact concerns today. I never thought a clearly partisan actor like Brad Schimel should be a top federal prosecutor in our state to begin with, and he certainly shouldn't get an extension for this job,”said Senator Baldwin. “We have a process in Wisconsin that has worked to advance high-quality, impartial, and experienced candidates. Sometimes it’s been hard, but getting the right person who will uphold the rule of law, not pledge loyalty to the President, is more important than ever. We need to get back to that process and not allow the Trump administration to skirt the law and our Wisconsin way of doing things. The commission should continue their work and put forward qualified nominees for this position.”
At the start of the 119th Congress, Baldwin and Johnson set up their bipartisan judicial nominating commission, which was first established by Wisconsin’s U.S. Senators in 1979. The commission has six members, with each Senator nominating three. The commission takes applications for open U.S. Attorney positions and federal judicial appointments that cover Wisconsin and then makes recommendations to the U.S. Senators. Presidents of both political parties have respected Wisconsin’s unique process, until now.
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