(The Center Square)- U.S. Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto, both D-Nevada, spoke out last week against the state’s new interim U.S. attorney.
Sigal Chattah, a conservative lawyer from Nevada, announced on X that she had been named to the position. Neither the White House nor the Department of Justice have made a formal announcement.
Chattah wrote in her social media post that she is “honored to serve Nevada as Interim United States Attorney.” She also thanked President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi for trusting her to “Nevadans’ safety and that public corruption will come to an abrupt halt in the Silver State.”
She added that her “pursuit of justice will be “objective” and “nonpartisan.”
The Nevada GOP celebrated the decision, calling Chattah a “fierce defender of personal liberties.”
Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald said Chattah will “rigorously advocate for the President’s priorities and investigate corruption” in the state.
Chattah, who ran unsuccessfully against Democratic Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford in 2022, served on the Republican National Committee. She represented the GOP in its mail-in ballot lawsuit against Nevada, which was eventually thrown out.
After Chattah’s announcement, Rosen called her an “extremist” who is “deeply unfit” for this newly appointed role.
“Chattah’s disturbing past statements promising to use any public office to go after her political opponents, as well as her well-documented history of racist remarks, conspiracy theories and threats of violence, prove that she cannot be trusted with this important responsibility,” the senator said.
Rosen did not explicitly state what past statements of Chattah qualified to fit these accusations.
The senator said she would do everything she could to fight Chattah’s confirmation if Chattah was nominated for a Senate-confirmed position.
Cortez Masto accused Trump of abusing his presidential powers and sidestepping Congress to “insert a partisan political operative into this position because he knows Nevada’s Senators will not support her.”
It was a different story during Trump’s first administration, Cortez Masto said, noting the president at that time worked with the Nevada senators in his nomination for U.S. attorney.
The senator noted the appointment only lasts 120 days and added she will ensure Nevada confirms a U.S. attorney with “integrity and a commitment to the rule of law.”
