A former Atlanta-area U.S. attorney testified to lawmakers on Wednesday that he abruptly resigned from his post in January after former President Donald Trump grew frustrated with him over his refusal to back election fraud claims in the state.
Byung Pak, who served in the Northern District of Georgia after his appointment by the former president, outlined the reason for his departure with the Senate Judiciary Committee during three hours of closed-door testimony, according to the New York Times, citing a person familiar with the remarks. He said he resigned after being informed by Justice Department officials Trump intended to fire him.
Pak confirmed he participated in the virtual meeting with senators, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Sen. Jon Ossoff’s office told the paper he listened into the testimony.
Pak abruptly resigned on Jan. 4, a day before the Senate runoff elections in Georgia. The decision came after Trump’s call to Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was made public, in which the former president asked him to “find” the 11,780 votes sufficient to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. In that call, Trump criticized Pak as a “Never Trumper” who didn’t do enough to change the outcome.
Pak remained vague in the explanation for his abrupt departure offered to colleagues, citing “unforeseen circumstances.” He was replaced by Kurt Erskine, and magistrate court Judge Bobby Christine was tapped as the lead U.S. attorney for the Peach State.
TRUMP-APPOINTED ATLANTA US ATTORNEY RESIGNS FROM POST
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat on the judiciary panel, said he believed Pak was credible in his testimony on Wednesday.
“Mr. Pak answered all questions in a seemingly honest and candid way, and my impression is that he believes in the rule of law and that he stood up for it,” the lawmaker said.
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Emails released by the House Oversight Committee show officials in the White House and Justice Department reached out to Pak at a time when Trump and his allies were pushing federal officials and resources to overturn the 2020 election.
Trump’s efforts to discredit President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory are under investigation by the Democratic-led Congress and others. Senators also recently interviewed Trump’s former acting attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen, and his former top deputy, Richard Donoghue.
