United States

Way in Which US Attorneys Told to Resign Came as Surprise: Source

The Trump administration's request on Friday that all 46 U.S. attorneys resign was met with surprise by multiple federal prosecutors, with at least one first finding out about the demand via Twitter, a source close to the U.S. attorney told NBC News.

The U.S. attorney was wholly unaware that he was expected to resign Friday and had not been notified about the public announcement prior to the press release being received. 

The source says the U.S attorney and other U.S. attorneys were surprised because on a Thursday conference call with Attorney General Jeff Sessions he concluded the call by telling them "happy hunting!" Sessions, the source says, had given no indication about Friday's announcement. 

All 93 U.S. attorneys — the top federal prosecutors in the states — are political appointees. A total of 47 had already stepped down. Some states, divided into separate districts, have more than one.

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