Trump Administration Names Bill Essayli ‘Acting’ L.A. U.S. Attorney

The Trump administration moved on Bill Essayli’s appointment ahead of the ending of his 120-day interim period this evening, by appointing him “acting” U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.

Matt Finn with Fox News reported on X Tuesday that “the Maga- aligned US attorney in Los Angeles Bill Essayli will become ‘Acting Atty’ after his 120 day interim period expires tomorrow. Chief Judge Dolly Gee, declined to take action on Essayli appointment, basically denying him a permanent spot. This is now a similar situation and mechanism to Alina Habba in Jersey.” Judge Gee was a President Barak Obama appointee.

In early April, Bill Essayli accepted the appointment of United States Attorney for the Central District of California by the Trump administration. However, he has not been confirmed.

U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi appointed Essayli in early April as an interim United States Attorney appointee, which requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate within 120 days. But President Trump never moved to formally nominate Essayli for confirmation by the U.S. Senate, where he would have faced fierce opposition from California Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, both Democrats, the Los Angeles Times reported.

“That left Essayli’s fate in the hands of a local federal judicial panel, which declined to name anyone to the post on Tuesday, according to a report from Fox News. Court records do not reflect any action taken by local judges.”

Chief Judge Dolly Gee is the chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. She chose not to bring Essayli’s interim appointment for a vote – to confirm him or to oust him – there was no vote for or against Mr. Essayli.

Nor was there a coup as happened in New Jersey with Trump’s U.S. Attorney  appointee Alina Habba, when a panel of federal judges last week voted not to extend Alina Habba’s term as President Trump’s interim New Jersey US attorney — before Attorney General Pam Bondi swiftly booted their hand-picked replacement, the New York Post reported. Then they tried to install her assistant as her replacement. AG Bondi promptly fired Desiree Leigh Grace. “This Department of Justice does not tolerate rogue judges — especially when they threaten the President’s core Article II powers,” Bondi said.

President Donald Trump isn’t happy with the Senate and posted on Truth Social:

Chuck Grassley, who I got re-elected to the U.S. Senate when he was down, by a lot, in the Great State of Iowa, could solve the “Blue Slip” problem we are having with respect to the appointment of Highly Qualified Judges and U.S. Attorneys, with a mere flick of the pen. Democrats like Schumer, Warner, Kaine, Booker, Schiff, and others, SLEAZEBAGS ALL, have an ironclad stoppage of Great Republican Candidates. Put simply, the President of the United States will never be permitted to appoint the person of his choice because of an ancient, and probably Unconstitutional, “CUSTOM,” that if you have, even one person in the opposite Party serving in the U.S. Senate, he/she must give consent, thereby completely stopping the opposite Party’s Nomination. The only way to beat this Hoax is to appoint a Democrat or, a weak and ineffective Republican. Therefore, I would never be able to appoint Great Judges or U.S. Attorneys in California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Virginia, and other places, where there is, coincidentally, the highest level of crime and corruption — The places where fantastic people are most needed! Senator Grassley must step up, like Crooked Joe Biden did, when he openly broke, at least two times, the “Blue Slip” SCAM, and like others have done over the years, and let our Great Republican Judges and U.S. Attorneys BE CONFIRMED. He should do this, IMMEDIATELY, and not let the Democrats laugh at him and the Republican Party for being weak and ineffective. The Democrats have broken this ridiculous custom on us, it’s time that we break it on them. Chuck, I know you have the Courage to do this, DO IT!

It is notable that when a Democrat presidential administration is making its appointments, Senate Republicans always seem to pass them. But when a Republican administration is putting forth its appointments, Republicans in the Senate seem to be the roadblocks as they are right now.

It appears that Senate Leader John Thune is slow-walking a lot of judicial appointments as well.

The solution by the Trump administration to Essayli’s conundrum?

Essayli will be named “Acting” U.S. attorney for the Central District of California at 5:01pm Tuesday evening, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

“The maneuver — which echoes steps the Trump administration took to keep its chosen prosecutors in power in New York, New Jersey and Nevada in recent weeks — allows Essayli to stay in office while sidestepping normal confirmation processes in the U.S. Senate,” the Los Angeles Times opined.

That “maneuver” is necessary in the game of partisan politics and Presidential authority.

Many Californians are glad, as the newly minted U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli hit the ground running in early April when he announced the formation of the Homelessness Fraud and Corruption Task Force a day after he took office. $2 billion of public taxpayer funds has gone missing and is unaccounted for.

“California has spent more than $24 billion over the past five years to address homelessness,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “But officials have been unable to account for all the expenditures and outcomes, and the homeless crisis has only gotten worse. Taxpayers deserve answers for where and how their hard-earned money has been spent. If state and local officials cannot provide proper oversight and accountability, we will do it for them. If we discover any federal laws were violated, we will make arrests.”

Bill Essayli has a lot of work to do in California.