President Donald Trump broke the usual chain of command by ordering attorney Bobby Christine to take the place of Byung “BJay” Pak as Atlanta U.S. Attorney. Had Trump not intervened, top assistant to the Atlanta office, Kurt Erskine, would normally have taken over as the acting U.S. Attorney.
Trump’s move comes directly after his phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger where Trump, after claiming the state’s election was rigged, said, “You have your never-Trumper U.S. Attorney there.” While Trump never mentions Pak by name, his sudden resignation leads many to believe Trump was referring to him.
It has now been revealed that Trump pressured Pak to launch an investigation into voting in Georgia but he resisted.
Both Pak and Christine were appointed to their positions in 2017 by Trump. Christine is now acting as both U.S. Attorney for Northern Georgia, his original position, and Pak’s former role as U.S. Attorney for Atlanta.
