U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger of New Jersey will resign on January 8, facing the reality that President-elect Donald Trump is preparing to replace him.
“Serving as the United States Attorney has been the honor of a lifetime. My sincere thanks to President Biden for appointing me the temporary steward of the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Sellinger said. “I leave knowing the storied traditions of this Office will continue through our dedicated career Assistant U.S. Attorneys and staff.”
Sellinger became the state’s top federal prosecutor in December 2021 after winning the backing of the state’s senior U.S. Senator Bob Menendez. The two were old friends, and Sellinger had raised money for Menenedez’s Senate campaign. But the relationship quickly deteriorated when Sellinger told Menendez that an unrelated matter his law firm had handled against Fred Daibes, the co-defendant in the senator’s corruption trial, would force him to recuse himself.
In a press release, Sellinger touted his accomplishments over the last three years: taking on violent crime, the creation of a stand-alone Civil Rights Division, obtaining two convictions against members of a ransomware group, protecting national security, and opioid prevention.
There had been speculation that the 70-year-old Sellinger was preparing to leave regardless of the outcome of the 2024 election.
His resignation will be effective at 11:50 PM. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna will become Acting U.S. Attorney.
Possible candidates for the post after Trump takes office next month include State Sens. Doug Steinhardt (R-Lopatcong) and Michael Testa, Jr. (R-Vineland), and Scott McBride, an attorney at Lowenstein Sandler.
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