ATLANTA (AP) – Atlanta’s top federal prosecutor stepped down on Monday, the day after an audio recording was made public, in which President Donald Trump called him “never-Trumper”.
Byung J. “BJay” Pak, who was appointed by Trump, announced his resignation as a US attorney for the Northern Georgia District in a press release. The statement did not say why Pak was leaving or what he plans to do next.
“It was the greatest honor of my professional career to be able to serve my fellow citizens as a US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia,” Pak said in the statement. “I did my best to be considerate and consistent and to offer justice to my fellow citizens in a fair, effective and efficient way. 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 their leadership in the Department. ”
Trump on Saturday had a phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, during which the president suggested that the state’s top election official could find enough votes to reverse the outcome of the presidential race in his favor. A recording of that call was obtained on Sunday by the media, including The Associated Press.
During the approximately one-hour call, Trump came up with several false claims. Referring to investigations into his unfounded allegations of electoral fraud, the president said, “You are with your US attorney who was never a Trumper.”
Pak was sworn in as a U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Georgia, based in Atlanta, in October 2017, after being appointed by Trump. Pak was a Republican state legislator from 2011 to 2017, had previously served as an assistant United States attorney from 2002 to 2008 and worked in a private practice at the time of his appointment.
In announcing Pak’s appointment, the White House said that he and five others nominated for the US attorney’s office “share the president’s vision for ‘Making America Safe Again'”.
A Justice Department spokesman did not immediately respond on Monday to questions about what prompted Pak’s sudden resignation or whether Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen had sought a way out.
Pak’s resignation came almost a month after the departure of Charlie Peeler, who was appointed by Trump in 2017 to serve as a U.S. attorney for the Macon-based Middle District of Georgia. Peeler resigned on December 11, saying in a press release that he planned to return to private practice with a law firm in Atlanta.