Federal prosecutor Dana Boente, the current director of the Justice Department’s national security division and President Trump’s former acting attorney general, has submitted his resignation.
Mr. Boente, 63, announced his resignation in a letter sent to colleagues Friday, a day after quietly notifying the Trump administration, The Washington Post reported.
Mr. Boente’s letter did not state a reason for his resignation, his spokesperson said, The Associated Press reported.
A career federal prosecutor, Mr. Boente has worked for the federal government for 33 years, beginning with a stint in Department of Justice’s tax division in 1984. He was appointed to serve as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in 2015, and he briefly helmed the DOJ earlier this year after Mr. Trump fired his acting attorney general, Sally Yates, for refusing to defend his contentious travel ban.
Mr. Boente currently serves as both the Eastern District of Virginia’s top prosecutor and acting director of the DOJ’s national security division. He intends to step down from both roles once a successor is confirmed, the reports said.
Virginia’s two U.S. senators, Democrats Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, will recommend a potential successor to serve as the office’s leading lawyer.
“We are grateful for Dana Boente’s public service, and look forward to reviewing qualified candidates and selecting the right individual for this significant role,” the senators said in a statement Friday.
Mr. Trump previously nominated Boeing attorney John Demers to serve as the assistant attorney general for national security. The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced his nomination earlier this month.
As leading prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia, Mr. Boente oversaw several widely reported prosecutions included the 2014 criminal case against the state’s former governor, Bob McDonnell, among others.
Mr. Boente briefly held the DOJ’s top role after the president fired Ms. Yates less than two weeks after entering office. He subsequently assumed the role as deputy attorney general afterwards before being tapped in April to serve as interim head of the DOJ’s national security division — one of several federal entities currently investigating Russia’s involvement in Mr. Trump’s election.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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