U.S. Attorney John F. Bash has stepped down from the U.S. Department of Justice following eight years of service.
Bash's resignation was effective Oct. 9. He was the U.S. attorney of the Western District of Texas.
Bash was appointed to the position of U.S. Attorney in December 2017, according to a press release from the DOJ. Prior to the appointment as U.S. attorney, he served as an assistant to the solicitor general as well as an associate counsel to the president. It was President Trump who appointed Bash as U.S. attorney. The resignation was forwarded to both President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr. Bash indicated his intent to take a position in the private sector, thanking the president along with Texas Senators and the United States Senate as a whole. He also thanked for presidential council David F. McGahn II.
John Bash
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“I am also deeply indebted to the over 300 attorneys and staff members who work in our office, including the 73 assistant United States attorneys hired during my tenure,” Bash said in the press release. “Through their tireless efforts, we have held accountable child abusers, drug-cartel leaders, gang members, bank robbers, embezzlers, fraudsters, scammers, and corrupt public officials. The exceptional public servants of our office have continued to perform at a high level during the national health crisis.”
Barr selected Gregg Sofer to succeed Bash as the U.S. Attorney. The press release reported Sofer is a veteran of the Department of Justice and served the Western District of Texas as the Criminal Division Chief upon being appointed by Bash. Prior to that, he was a counselor to the attorney general.
“Like any job, serving as U.S. Attorney has had its high points and its low points,” Bash said in the release. “No day was worse than Aug. 3, 2019, when we lost so many of our fellow Americans and our Mexican brothers and sisters to an almost inconceivable act of hatred. But there was nothing more soul-stirring than the way El Pasoans came together in the wake of that nightmare in a spirit of love and perseverance.
“I hope that I have discharged my authority wisely and have improved the safety and security of my fellow Texans. I leave the Department with a profound respect for its people, its traditions, and its importance to our constitutional democracy.”
