‘I know where a lot of the bodies are buried': Acting U.S. attorney for Nevada responds to critics

Yahoo

4 days ago

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Sigal Chattah, newly appointed acting U.S. attorney for the District of Nevada, responded to her critics in an exclusive interview with the 8 News Now Investigators.
Nevada's two United States senators, Catherine Cortez-Masto and Jacky Rosen, both democrats, have been vocal against Chattah's appointment.
'You know, a lot of these people, I know that they're scared because I know where a lot of the bodies are buried because I come from the defense world,' Chattah said. 'Without saying too much about my previous experience as a defense attorney, but when you played that side, you know where all the bodies are buried. Sometimes we even choose the location to bury them.'
President Donald Trump appointed Chattah as the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Nevada through an unprecedented legal maneuver last week. She resigned from her position as interim U.S. Attorney before the 120-day deadline expired. This triggered the federal vacancy act, which allowed the president to appoint Chattah to the new position and remain in the office, according to Chattah.
Chattah is a former Republican National Committee woman, made an unsuccessful run for Nevada Attorney General, and has made headlines for controversial statements she has made.
Rosen issued a statement against Chattah's appointment.'This is an outrageous attempt by the Trump Administration to try to install extremist Sigal Chattah as Acting U.S. Attorney for Nevada and keep her in that role indefinitely. Trump knows Chattah would be soundly rejected by both sides of the aisle if she had to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, which is why he's relying on an unconstitutional maneuver to illegally extend her temporary appointment that was set to expire today,' Rosen said. 'I will continue doing everything I can to block any permanent appointment of extremist Sigal Chattah as Nevada's U.S. Attorney. She is deeply unfit for this role, and I call on the legal system to immediately remove her.'
Cortez-Masto also released a statement.
'By bypassing the Senate and naming Sigal Chattah as an 'acting' U.S. attorney, it's clear the Trump administration knows Ms. Chattah is unconfirmable,' Cortez-Mastro said. 'This unprecedented maneuver sets a dangerous standard and risks holding up critical criminal cases just so that President Trump can play political games. At the end of the day, my position remains the same: Sigal Chattah is unfit for this role.'
Chattah said the law allowed the opportunity for her appointment.
'I took that opportunity. It's not unconstitutional,' Chattah told the 8 News Now Investigators. 'It was not done in a nefarious manner, and there's nothing that politicians can do about it.'Chattah said she was also appointed as a special prosecutor for the United States attorney general, resulting in a dual role. She discussed priorities for her new position, including targeting drug trafficking, violent crimes, public corruption, and election cases.
The Trump administration budgeted money to allow Chattah to hire additional federal prosecutors, she said.
To reach investigative reporter Vanessa Murphy, email [e-mail].
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