John Huber, the U.S. attorney probing the FBI for possible political corruption, was first appointed to his position by President Barack Obama.
However, he was reappointed to the post of U.S. attorney for Utah by President Trump last June, with the backing of that state’s senior Republican senator.
Now he’s handling the FBI corruption probe, according to Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a Thursday statement.
In his statement, Mr. Sessions denied a request by several Republican committee chairmen on Capitol Hill for a special counsel on a range of matters united by the thread that the FBI and/or Justice Department soft-pedaled probes of Democrat Hillary Clinton and tried to undermine the candidacy of Republican Donald Trump.
As is the custom, Mr. Huber submitted his resignation as U.S. attorney last March to the incoming Trump administration. Mr. Obama had appointed him to the post in 2015.
But Mr. Trump didn’t accept it, named him interim attorney for Utah, and included him in a list of U.S. attorney appointees in June.
The White House said at the time that the 46 appointees shared the president’s goal of “making America safe again.”
Sen. Orrin Hatch, Utah Republican, said last year that he was pleased by the appointment.
“He has been involved in the highest profile cases and coordinated task forces on everything from counterterrorism to violent crime. He has been recognized at the highest levels in the Department of Justice for his performance,” Mr. Hatch said in a statement, the Deseret News reported.
The Senate unanimously confirmed him in August.
