As part of a last-minute effort to fill vacancies left when the Trump administration abruptly dismissed dozens of U.S. attorneys, Attorney General Jeff Sessions listed Tampa prosecutor Maria Chapa Lopez among interim nominees who will eventually be nominated to their positions permanently, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported Wednesday afternoon.
And she’s known for prosecuting many a case involving illicit substances trafficked in Florida.
She will serve as the top federal prosecutor in the Middle District of Florida, which runs from Jacksonville down to Fort Myers and is headquartered in Tampa.
In March of last year, the administration fired or asked for resignations from 46 of the country’s 94 U.S. attorneys who were Obama-era appointees. While that seems like a most Trumpian move, it actually isn’t unprecedented. But included on the list of the 17 appointees announced Wednesday is a law partner of Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City Mayor/presidential contender who’s a close ally of Trump. What makes this notable is that the nominee, Geoffrey Berman, could have oversight in cases involving the Trump Organization, which is based squarely within his Manhattan. So that’s Trumpian.
At the time of her appointment, Lopez was serving in Mexico City, though she had worked in the Middle District of Florida from 2000-2016.
In a statement, Sessions commended her for her work on cases involving drug trafficking. That’s, of course, not a huge surprise given the AG’s fixation on drugs, even marijuana, since he’s taken office.
This article appears in Dec 28, 2017 – Jan 4, 2018.
