In-Your-Face DOJ Aide Rides Prosecutors for 'Chief Client' Trump

When leaders of all 93 US attorneys’ offices met for their weekly video chat last month, the 33-year-old Justice Department aide who presided had a blunt message.

President Donald Trump is their “chief client” and anyone uncomfortable with advancing his administration’s directives must step aside for willing replacements, Aakash Singh warned the US attorneys and their criminal heads, said three people briefed on the meeting.

Participants were taken aback by Singh’s comments, which some interpreted as a clear reference to the Minneapolis prosecutors resigning that week after DOJ’s orders to investigate protesters and state Democrats. Singh had closely coordinated those efforts, said two people with knowledge of his role.

As an associate deputy attorney general, Singh has positioned himself as the Trump Justice Department’s brashest enforcer when it comes to clamping down on US attorneys’ autonomy.

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/in-your-face-doj-aide-rides-prosecutors-for-chief-client-trump