ATLANTA (AP) – Atlanta’s top federal prosecutor left his position Monday, a day after an audio recording was released in which President Donald Trump called him a “never trumper.”
Byung J. “BJay” Pak, who was nominated by Trump, announced his resignation as a U.S. attorney for the northern district of Georgia in a press release. The statement did not indicate why Pak was leaving or what he planned to do next.
“It has been the highest honor of my professional career to have been able to serve my fellow citizens as a U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia,” Pak said in the statement. “I have done my best to be thoughtful and consistent and provide justice to my fellow citizens in a fair, effective and efficient manner. I am grateful to President Trump and the United States Senate for the opportunity to serve, and to former attorneys general Sessions and Barr for his direction of the Department “.
Trump called Saturday with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, during which the president suggested that the top state election official could find enough votes to reverse the outcome of the presidential race in favor of the state. his. A recording of this call was obtained on Sunday through news outlets, including The Associated Press.
During the approximately one-hour call, Trump made numerous false claims. Referring to investigations into his unfounded allegations of election fraud, the president said, “You have your U.S. attorney there.”
Pak was appointed U.S. attorney in the northern district of Georgia, located in Atlanta, in October 2017 after being appointed by Trump. Pak was a Republican state legislature from 2011 to 2017, had previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney from 2002 to 2008 and worked in the private practice at the time of his appointment.
Announcing Pak’s nomination, the White House said he and five other U.S. presidential candidates “share the president’s vision of” Making the United States Safe Again. “
A Justice Department spokesman did not answer questions Monday about what prompted Pak’s sudden resignation or whether incumbent Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen had asked to leave.
Pak’s resignation comes almost a month after the departure of Charlie Peeler, who was appointed by Trump in 2017 as a U.S. attorney for the middle district of Georgia, based in Macon. Peeler resigned Dec. 11 and said in a statement that he planned to return to private practice with an Atlanta law firm.