(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump said he’s getting rid of all of his predecessor’s top federal prosecutors, a standard change for an incoming administration, but one that comes at a key moment for federal prosecutors in Illinois.
John Lausch, nominated by Trump during his first term in 2017, was the last confirmed lead prosecutor in the Northern Illinois office. Lausch, who brought bribery charges against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and others, stayed in the position for part of President Joe Biden’s term.
Biden fired nearly all Trump-appointed attorneys when he took office in 2021. Lausch was an exception granted at the request of Illinois’ two U.S. Senators.
Lausch stepped down in 2023, but Democrats failed to get their pick for the job confirmed through the Senate.
Rather, Morris Pasqual took over as the acting U.S. Attorney, overseeing more than 300 employees, including about 152 Assistant U.S. Attorneys in northern Illinois, including the city of Chicago. The office serves a region that includes 18 counties and about 9 million people.
What will happen next remains unclear.
A jury convicted Madigan earlier this month, but the long-time Illinois political boss has yet to be sentenced. A change of guard in the Northern Illinois office could potentially affect how that case and other related corruption cases proceed.
Some in Illinois have raised questions about Trump’s dedication to prosecuting public corruption after the president commuted the sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Blagojevich was convicted in 2011 of trying to sell former President Barack Obama’s Senate seat and trying to shake down a children’s hospital for campaign cash.
Trump cut Blagojevich’s 14-year sentence short during his first term and then gave Blagojevich a full pardon last week.