WSJ: U.S. Attorney resigns under after refusing to do Trump's bidding

SCREEN CAPTURE / FOX

United States Attorney Byung J. Pak suddenly resigned his post earlier than expected.

White House officials pressured U.S. Attorney Byung J. "BJay" Pak to resign Jan. 4 because Donald Trump was upset about Georgias election results, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

Pak's resignation, sources told the WSJ, came after White House officials allegedly told him he needed to step down because he wasn't "pursuing vote-fraud allegations to Trump's satisfaction." 

Trump wanted Georgia officials to "find" enough votes to overturn the Nov. 3 election that saw Georgia's electoral college vote go to Democrat Joe Biden.

Pak resigned abruptly on Jan. 4, a day before the runoffs, saying in an email that he was resigning due to “unforeseen circumstances.”

It’s not unusual for U.S. attorneys to leave their posts as presidential administrations change. Pak’s announcement Monday, however, was notable because it came a day after recordings of a telephone call became public in which Trump, who nominated Pak for the position, appeared to suggest that Pak was a “never-Trumper” — a derisive erm often used for conservative and Republican critics of Trump.

“You have your never-Trumper U.S. attorney there,” Trump is heard saying during the call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Trump suggested during the call that Raffensperger might find enough votes to reverse the outcome of the presidential race in the state — an idea rejected by fellow Republican Raffensperger. 

No signs of irregularities were found in Georgia in the Nov. 3 Presidential election or the Jan. 5 runoff elections won by the two Democratic challengers, Jon Ossof and Rafael Warnock. The GOP lost control of the U.S. Senate because of their victories. With the Senate equally divided between Republicans and Democrats, the tie-breaking vote would fall to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

In his resignation letter, Pak stated:

"For the past three years, I have had the great fortune to work with the highly skilled attorneys and staff in the Northern District of Georgia,” Pak said.  “This office is blessed with experienced leaders, and fearless colleagues who truly understand the importance of working together for the benefit of their fellow citizens and for justice.  Likewise, the staff that supports the attorneys in the office – administrative personnel, legal assistants, paralegals and investigators, those responsible for outreach to law enforcement, victims, community partners, the media, and to those assigned to security and intelligence – are some of the most dedicated people I have seen.  Their roles in fulfilling the mission of the office of pursuing justice cannot be underestimated. I have strived to serve these employees of the U.S. Attorney’s Office as their leader during these past three years, the last of which was one of the most trying the office has ever endured.  I have greatly enjoyed working with each and every one of them. Throughout the past three years, I have endeavored to serve them and to tell the story of the great accomplishments of the office. While the public words are mine, the accomplishments belong to them.”