The Federal Judges Committee has turned down John Salcone III’s request to take on the role of permanent U.S. attorney for the upstate New York district. This decision comes despite accusations he made last week.
A panel of U.S. District Court judges previously stated in March that Salcone had not appointed a U.S. attorney for the Upstate District after his temporary appointment by the Department of Justice.
Interestingly, legal experts haven’t detailed their reasoning for this, and it seems Salcone’s time in the role might wrap up this week.
This setback for Salcone, a Republican, follows his assertions made to local news on Friday, wherein he indicated that the committee had signaled approval for his position. However, the judges responded swiftly, rejecting those claims.
A spokesman for Salcone, U.S. attorney Tamara Thomson, later mentioned that Associate Deputy Prosecutor Aakash Singh had indicated the permanent appointment process is progressing positively.
“We stressed the need for prompt action, and they acknowledged that,” Singh relayed regarding the judges.
He added, “We’ll keep communicating with them until everything is finalized. It seems to be on track, or at least according to our plan.”
Attempts to contact the U.S. attorneys for Upstate New York on Monday afternoon didn’t receive a response.
Salcone’s temporary stay, a remnant of the Trump administration, may end soon as the Department of Justice plans to step in.
It’s worth noting that Trump has not made any appointments that would require approval from the U.S. Senate in relation to Salcone.
Emails sent to the Department of Justice were unanswered by Monday afternoon.
In a related case, Salcone raised alarms about immigrants allegedly wielding knives and making threats in June, which led to an arrest.
In that instance, the Albany County District Attorney’s Office dealt with suspect Saul Morales Garcia. The 40-year-old citizen of El Salvador pleaded guilty to several charges.
Earlier this month, Morales Garcia confessed to federal prosecutors that he had threatened a victim with a knife, causing genuine fear for his life. He was subsequently sentenced to 90 days in jail, according to reports.
Salcone stepped into the acting attorney role shortly after Biden appointee Carla Friedman departed in mid-February.
