AAPI attorney withdraws nomination for DOJ's No. 3 spot

JESSIE KONG LIU

It's an example of the Republican Party eating its young when the GOP's radical right wing turns against the moderate right wing of the party.

Jessie Kong Liu, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, withdrew her name Thursday for consideration to be third-in-command at the Justice Department because some members of the GOP believed she was not conservative enough.

The seasoned lawyer overseeing the largest district in the country with over 300 attorneys, pulled out of consideration for the job because she reportedly did not want to be a distraction at a critical time for the DOJ.

Liu faced opposition from Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee, among others, because of her association with the National Association of Women Lawyers, which sent a letter to the Senate opposing the nomination of of Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court.

As vice president, Liu's name was on the letterhead but she did not sign the letter. She, in fact, signed another letter in support of Alito's nomination.

Justice Department officials were reportedly upset at the opposition to Liu. They noted that she's a well-regarded conservative, in some ways more conservative than Lee.

"Only a moron like Mike Lee would tank President Trump's nominee, an Asian woman, for the department's No. 3 job," a senior DOJ official told CNN. "This is beyond politically stupid."

Opposition from radically right Republicans combined with Democrats who believe Liu is too conservative, effectively killed any hope that she could muster enough votes to win the nomination.

Attorney General William Barr issued a statement Thursday afternoon praising Liu and saying she "would have made an outstanding associate attorney general."

"Jessie Liu is one of the finest, most impressive people serving in the Department of Justice," Barr said the statement, adding that he would appoint her to be chairwoman of his advisory committee.

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Jessie Kong Liu nominated for the DOJ's 3rd highest post

Donald Trump has picked Jessie Kong Liu, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, for the role of associate attorney general, the White House announced Tuesday.

The White House released this information:

Ms. Liu currently serves as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, the Nation’s largest United States Attorney’s Office. As United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, she leads more than 300 prosecutors and, among other achievements, implemented the Department of Justice’s pilot initiative on sexual harassment in public housing. Previously, 

Ms. Liu served in various positions across the Government, including in the Civil Rights and National Security Divisions at the Department of Justice, as well as Deputy General Counsel for the Department of the Treasury. She also served as a law partner at Morrison & Foerster and Jenner & Block. Ms. Liu clerked for then-Chief Judge Carolyn Dineen King of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Houston, Texas, and received her A.B., summa cum laude, from Harvard University in 1995 and J.D. from Yale Law School in 1998.

The job she has been nominated for is the No. 3 position at the Justice Department. The position has gone unfilled for over a year since former associate attorney general Rachel Brand’s unexpected departure. 

“With her record of public service, particularly in civil justice and federal law enforcement matters, it is clear that she will be an outstanding addition to our leadership team at the Department,” said U.S. Attorney General William Barr in a statement.

Liu, 46, was nominated by Trump in 2017 to head the U.S. attorney’s office where  she handled criminal cases, including those involving some of Trump's associates who have been implicated in some of the events surrounding Mueller's Russia probe. Among those cases are those proceedings against Trump advisor Roger Stone and and alleged Russian agent Irina Butina.

By moving to the DOJ, she will be leaving those cases behind allowing Trump to nominate someone to oversee those ongoing investigations and court proceedings.

As associate attorney general, Liu would primarily be responsible for overseeing the department’s civil litigation.

“Jessie has distinguished herself as a first-class attorney in private practice, in the Treasury Department, and in five different positions over her career at the Department of Justice,”  Barr said in a statement.

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