FARGO, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota's U.S. senators are asking President Donald Trump to keep the state's top federal prosecutor in place.
U.S. Attorney Christopher Myers was appointed to the job by U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson after Timothy Purdon resigned in February 2015.
Trump recently asked 46 politically appointed U.S. attorneys to resign. Because Myers was appointed by the court and not by the Senate, he is allowed to stay on until a new nominee is confirmed.
Sens. John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp want Myers to be that nominee. Heitkamp, a former North Dakota attorney general, says Myers is "capable, tenacious and focused."
Myers has been a federal prosecutor since 2002. He has tried a number of successful cases against large-scale drug traffickers, including members of the violent Arelleno Felix cartel in Mexico.