Trump to nominate former Justice Dept official for DC’s US attorney: report

President Trump will nominate a former Justice Department official to be the U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia, BuzzFeed News reported on Thursday.

Multiple sources familiar with the process told the publication that Trump is set to nominate Jessie Liu, who also served on Trump’s transition team, for the position.

An attorney familiar with the vetting process told BuzzFeed that the FBI is completing the final steps of running a background check on Liu, a procedure typically conducted shortly before the official announcement.

{mosads}The U.S. attorney in D.C. is a unique position that is frequently on the the front lines of national security investigations and corruption cases involving government officials.

If confirmed, Liu would also have a broader mandate than other U.S. attorneys given that D.C. does not have the equivalent of a district or a state attorney office.

A former federal defender in Washington who once faced Liu in court said that the nomination would be welcomed by many in the legal community, BuzzFeed reported.

“Everyone around knows her on both sides,” Jonathan Jeffress told the publication. “People around DC would be very comfortable with her, as opposed to an outsider.”