Politics
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Maine will have a new top federal prosecutor under President Donald Trump, after U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee said Monday the Republican president’s administration has fired her.
Former President Joe Biden nominated McElwee, a Caribou native who previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney and prosecutor in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties, to the top role in 2021. It is typical for U.S. attorneys to step aside or be removed after a presidential transition. Numerous top prosecutors in various states announced their resignations in recent weeks.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Wolff, who served as McElwee’s No. 2, is now the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Maine, the office said in a Monday news release.
McElwee said in a statement she was notified in an email from Department of Justice leadership Sunday evening that Trump was terminating her. As for next career steps, McElwee said she could not yet share her plans.
“Having the opportunity to pursue justice alongside dedicated professionals has been a truly humbling and rewarding experience. I could not be more proud of the important work we did together for the people of Maine,” she said.
The position often receives less attention than Cabinet or judicial appointments but carries plenty of influence in Maine, with McElwee facing issues ranging from the opioid epidemic to illegal, Chinese-linked marijuana growing operations over the years.
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, will be forming a committee tasked with accepting applications and interviewing candidates for the position, her office said. She will recommend candidates for consideration by the Trump administration in keeping with traditional practices for a senator of the same party as the president.
Collins said in a statement Monday that McElwee “has dedicated her career to keeping our state safe, advocating for victims of crime and upholding the law.”
“I am proud of the outstanding public service of my fellow Caribou native,” Collins said.
Numerous Republicans have been floated as potential candidates to replace McElwee. One of them, Alex Willette, a former state lawmaker and Maine National Guard judge advocate who served in Trump’s first administration as deputy White House political affairs director, said Monday he had no updates to share.