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Decision Reversed: Daly Remains On The Job As U.S. Attorney In Connecticut

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Deirdre M. Daly, U.S. attorney for the district of Connecticut, announced in a statement Monday that she will continue to serve as U.S. attorney.

U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Deirdre Daly

U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Deirdre Daly

Photo Credit: File

“I thank the attorney general and the administration for affording me the opportunity to remain as the U.S. attorney for the district of Connecticut so that I might complete 20 years of service to the Department of Justice in October,” said Daly, a resident of Fairfield. 

Daly was was one 46 U.S. attorneys abruptly ordered Friday by the Trump administration to hand in their resignations. At the time, Daly said her resignation was effective immediately.

But that had all changed by late Monday afternoon. 

“I look forward to continuing to work on behalf of the residents of Connecticut in my remaining time, and I will focus on an orderly transition as I complete what has been a rewarding tenure in the office.”

Related story: You're fired: U.S. attorney in Connecticut resigns at request of Trump administration   

In a standoff with the Trump administration, Preet Bharara, the high-profile U.S. attorney in Manhattan known for prosecuting corruption cases, refused to resign and was fired Saturday.

U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy praised Daly's track record.

"Deidre Daly is a consummate career law enforcement professional whose intellect and integrity, experience and expertise make her a model United States attorney," said Blumenthal, who served as the U.S. attorney in Connecticut from 1977 to 1981.

"Deirdre Daly has done incredible work defending Connecticut, particularly her focus on combating the sale of heroin across our state," Murphy said. 

Daly has served as the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, including in an acting or interim capacity, since May 14, 2013. 

From July 2010 to May 2013, she was the first assistant U.S. attorney, during which time she assisted in the oversight of both the criminal and civil divisions of the office. 

From 1985 to 1997, Daly was an assistant U.S. attorney in the southern district of New York, where she prosecuted a wide range of cases from racketeering and murder to corruption and fraud, and later served as the assistant-in-charge of the White Plains Office for three years. 

She also served as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Lloyd F. MacMahon, in the Southern District of New York, from 1984 to 1985.

The U.S. attorney’s office is charged with enforcing federal criminal laws in Connecticut and representing the federal government in civil litigation. 

The office has 65 assistant U.S. attorneys and 52 staff members at offices in New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport.

Other presidential administrations have taken a similar tact. In 1993, the Clinton administration fired all 93 U.S. attorneys in one day.

“As was the case in prior transitions, many of the United States attorneys nominated by the previous administration already have left the Department of Justice,” Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement Friday. “The attorney general has now asked the remaining 46 presidentially appointed U.S. attorneys to tender their resignations in order to ensure a uniform transition."

For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, visit www.justice.gov/ct.

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