Seattle, Washington - A former judge was recently appointed to be the top federal prosecutor in the Western District of Washington state, only to have the role quickly pulled out from under him by President Donald Trump.

According to The Associated Press, Roger Rogoff was sworn in as US attorney for the district around 8 AM local time on Wednesday.

Rogoff told the outlet that he then went to the US Attorney's Office to meet with Charles Neil Floyd, a former immigration judge whom Trump appointed to be interim US attorney back in October.

While waiting in the lobby, less than an hour after landing his new job, Rogoff received an email from the Trump administration informing him he'd been removed.

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Presidents are tasked with appointing US attorneys for each judicial district, which then require Senate confirmation.

During Floyd's temporary time in the role, Trump never pushed his nomination to the Senate and instead shifted Floyd's title to assistant, leaving the top role open. Trump has used this tactic in other federal courts in an effort to evade confirmation and keep his appointees in the role indefinitely.

In May, a US appeals court panel questioned the legality of the move, which led to a panel of judges in Seattle unanimously voting Rogoff to take the position.

In a statement, Washington Senator Patty Murray criticized Trump's decision to fire Rogoff, whom she insisted is "eminently qualified," to keep the "out-of-touch extremist" Floyd in the role.

"This administration doesn't want to deal with advice and consent – they just want to install cronies to carry out a corrupt political agenda," Murray added.

In an X post, Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is currently undergoing a tense confirmation process, defended Trump's move, arguing the president has every right to fire any attorneys appointed by district judges and blaming the judges for not reaching out to the administration about the appointment.

"[Western District of Washington] judges abandoned the time-honored process of consultation with the administration so that the selected US Attorney is qualified to serve in the administration," Blanche argued.

Rogoff told the Associated Press that he has been consulting with other lawyers about possibly taking legal action against the Trump administration.