U.S. Attorney at Center of Controversy Resigns
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MIAMI — Dexter Lehtinen, the combative U.S. attorney for South Florida who has held the job for 3 1/2 years without Senate confirmation, resigned Monday. Sources in Washington said Atty. Gen. William P. Barr eased him out.
Lehtinen released a statement saying only that he had “decided to pursue other endeavors” and was resigning effective Jan. 20.
Last summer, the Senate returned Lehtinen’s name to the White House before Congress took its August recess, the Senate’s not-so-subtle way of signaling its displeasure with the candidate.
But the U.S. District judges for South Florida exercised their right to let him stay in the job in the absence of anyone else.
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