The chief law enforcement officer in the Northern District of Georgia announced his resignation on Monday, the Department of Justice said.
U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak, who was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2017, said he was leaving his role on Jan. 4 after serving the department for more than three years.
“It has been the greatest honor of my professional career to have been able to serve my fellow citizens as the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. I have done my best to be thoughtful and consistent, and to provide justice for my fellow citizens in a fair, effective, and efficient manner,” Pak said in a statement.
“I am grateful to President Trump and the United States Senate for the opportunity to serve, and to former Attorneys General Sessions and Barr for their leadership of the department.”
His departure comes a day after a phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was leaked to the press in which the president focused on issues of election integrity and claims of voting irregularities. During the call, Raffensperger countered most of Trump’s claims and asserted that the allegations were untrue.
Some of the allegations include ballots being cast by dead people, illegal out-of-state voters casting ballots in Georgia, thousands of people who were not on voter registration lists casting votes, and “a couple of hundred thousand of forged signatures” on ballots, Trump said.
Raffensperger responded to Trump saying: “Respectfully, President Trump: What you’re saying is not true. The truth will come out.”
Prior to becoming the top federal prosecutor in the district, Pak served as a state representative in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2011 to 2017. He also served on several national committees during his time in the department.
Pak’s resignation comes after former Attorney General William Barr departed from his role just before Christmas. Then-Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen took over the department following the exit as the acting attorney general.
Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.
