"3 months afterTrump abruptly fired half of the nation’s 93 U S attorneys, (the other half retired), he has not replaced a single one. US attorneys are responsible for prosecuting terrorism offenses, serious financial fraud, public corruption, crimes related to gang activity, drug trafficking and all other federal crimes. Despite his claims, the Democrats couldn’t obstruct any US attorney nominations -- because Trump has not made any. While his hiring freeze is part of a broader strategy to hobble or suffocate entire federal agencies, this is harder to understand. Even in a fully functioning administration, it takes months for nominees to be screened by the F.B.I. and approved by the Senate. You don’t run for president on a major-party ticket as a lark, and you don’t pink-slip top federal prosecutors en masse without a long list of qualified candidates in your back pocket."
At www.nytimes.com
