“President Donald Trump is installing his pick for the top federal prosecutor job in Manhattan on an interim basis despite Sen. Chuck Schumer’s effort to block the nominee’s confirmation in the Senate,” Politico reports.
“And in the long term, Trump may rely on a little-known legal provision to try to keep his nominee, Jay Clayton, in the influential prosecutorial post for the duration of Trump’s second term without ever confronting the confirmation process.
”“The playbook: First, appoint Clayton as interim U.S. attorney, allowing him to fill the role for up to four months without Senate confirmation. Then, when that window expires, count on the federal judges in Manhattan to appoint Clayton to the position indefinitely.”