by Alex Lloyd Gross
United States Attorney William McSwain has announced that he will resign his position effective January 22, 2021. In a statement, he said
“I want to thank President Trump for appointing me as U.S. Attorney, Senators Toomey and Casey for recommending me for the position, and Attorneys General Barr and Sessions for leading the Department of Justice during my service. I will always be grateful to have had the opportunity to serve as U.S. Attorney in the District in which I have lived most of my life, in the City in which I was born, and in the Office where I learned to be a trial lawyer as an Assistant U.S. Attorney,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “My overriding focus as U.S. Attorney was on pursuing justice in order to protect the community. I gave this job all that I had – all day, every day. While we’ve had many significant accomplishments during my tenure, the credit for these successes belongs to the hardworking, dedicated professionals at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners. For an attorney, there is no greater professional privilege than to represent the United States of America. I will miss it dearly.”
It is unknown what the hard charging prosecutor will do next. He has not confirmed rumors that he will try to take the seat of Senator Pat Toomey , who is resigning at the end of this term. or run for Governor.
U.S. Attorney McSwain spearheaded the creation of several new units in the Office during his tenure. First, the Office established a regional Health Care Fraud Strike Force, in conjunction with the Fraud Section at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., in order to pursue criminal penalties against fraudsters who steal from U.S. government health care programs. Second, the Office established an Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) Strike Force to focus on and expedite complex affirmative civil enforcement cases. Third, the Office stood up a General Crimes unit in the Criminal Division, staffed with more junior criminal prosecutors, in order to maximize their training and development. And fourth, U.S. Attorney McSwain established the Office of Public Affairs and External Engagement (OPAEE) in order to increase transparency and engagement with the community.
Prsident Joe Biden will appoint another US Attorney who will be confirmed by the US Senate.