An Atlanta-based United States attorney appointed by President Trump
Donald TrumpCotton breaks with conservative colleagues who will oppose Trump’s electoral vote count to give Nunes the Medal of Freedom: reports Hogan says lawmakers “scheme” to overturn election results “mocks our system” MORE abruptly left his post on Monday after serving three years in office, the District Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Georgia announced on Monday.
U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak, the first Korean-American to become a US Attorney, resigned, with immediate effect, on the Monday after Trump appointed him to the post in 2017.
Pak, who was born in South Korea, considered the service as a US attorney “the greatest honor of my professional career”.
“I did my best to be considerate and consistent and to provide justice to my fellow citizens in a fair, effective and efficient manner,” he said in a statement.
“As I look back on my nearly a decade serving the Department of Justice (and this office in particular), the most memorable and rewarding moments involve working closely with our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe,” he added.
After his appointment, Pak took over the corruption investigation at Atlanta City Hall and the administration of then-Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed, on which prosecutors have worked since 2015.
Under Pak, the investigation led to seven confessions by city contractors and officials and four charges.
Pak previously served in the Georgia House of Representatives for six years and, before that, as an assistant US attorney in the Northern Georgia District.
His resignation came less than a month after the U.S. attorney for the Central District of Georgia, Charles Peeler, who was also nominated by Trump, announced that he would resign, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
It is not uncommon for US prosecutors to step down early, when a new president is expected to take office, to allow the president-elect to choose a new prosecutor.
But Pak’s departure came a day after Georgia once again drew national attention after The Washington Post released the audio on Sunday of a phone call between President Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
The president was examined by Saturday’s call in which he repeatedly asked Raffensperger to “find” 11,780 votes to make Trump the state’s winner, rather than the elected president. Joe Biden
Joe BidenCotton breaks with conservative colleagues who will oppose Trump’s electoral vote count to give Nunes the Freedom Medal.