ATLANTA (AP) – The highest federal prosecutor in Atlanta left his position Monday, a day after an audio recording was made public in which President Donald Trump called him a “never-trumper.”
Byung J. “BJay” Pak, who was appointed by Trump, announced in a press release his resignation as US attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. The statement did not say why Pak left or what he intended to do.
“It has been the greatest honor of my professional career to serve my fellow citizens as US attorneys for the Northern District of Georgia,” Pak said in the statement. “I have done my best to be considerate and consistent, and to do justice to my fellow citizens in an honest, effective and efficient manner. I am grateful to President Trump and the United States Senate for the opportunity to serve, and former Attorney General Sessions and Barr for their leadership of the department. ”
Trump had a phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Saturday in which the president suggested that the state’s top election official might find enough votes to turn the outcome of the state’s presidential race in his favor. A recording of that call was obtained Sunday through news outlets including The Associated Press.
During the call that lasted about an hour, Trump brought up numerous false claims. Referring to investigations into his baseless allegations of voter fraud, the president said, “You have your never-Trumper American attorney there.”
Pak was sworn in as a U.S. attorney in the Atlanta-based Northern District of Georgia in October 2017, after being appointed by Trump. Pak was a Republican state legislator from 2011 to 2017, had previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney from 2002 to 2008, and was working in private practice at the time of his appointment.
Announcing Pak’s nomination, the White House said he and five other nominees for US attorneys’ posts “share the president’s vision for ‘Making America Safe Again.'”
A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to questions on Monday about what prompted Pak’s sudden resignation or whether Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen had requested the departure.
Pak’s resignation comes nearly a month after the departure of Charlie Peeler, who was appointed by Trump in 2017 as a US attorney for the Macon-based Middle District of Georgia. Peeler resigned December 11, saying in a press release that he intended to return to private practice at a law firm in Atlanta.