A Legal Thunderstorm Over Nevada

Appointment Sets the Stage for a Political Tempest

In a move as subtle as a brass band at a funeral, President Trump has appointed Republican firebrand Sigal Chattah as interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada, setting off a political ruckus louder than a prizefight in a saloon. Chattah, a Las Vegas attorney with a penchant for courtroom brawls and a history of setting Democratic tempers ablaze, now finds herself at the helm of federal prosecutions in the Silver State—at least for the next 120 days or until the U.S. Senate gets around to throwing a bucket of water on the whole affair.

Chattah, whose legal career has been one lawsuit after another, assured the public it is her honor to “administrate justice equally” and root out corruption as her critics claim she is more likely to plant a political flag than a badge of impartiality. Nevada’s Democratic senators, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, responded to the appointment with all the enthusiasm of a man finding a scorpion in his boot, branding Chattah an “election denier” with a “history of racist remarks” and pledging to fight her confirmation as though it were a duel at dawn.

One of Chattah’s past statements includes hanging her Democratic opponent, Aaron Ford. It is the “racist” comment Masoto Cortez and Rosen speak of, referring to the fact that Ford is a Black man–which also suggests it is a sexist remark, too.

However, Nevada Republicans have hailed her appointment as a victory for law and order in the tradition of shaking up the establishment. Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald declared that under Chattah’s watch, “it will be a bad day to be a bad guy,” which, given the political climate, might include anyone who holds socialist views.

The White House has yet to formally comment on Chattah’s appointment, perhaps too occupied with the uproar in the Senate or simply enjoying the show. Meanwhile, Trump’s administration, never one to shy away from an old-fashioned political scrap, has employed similar tactics elsewhere, appointing Alina Habba, his former personal attorney, as the interim U.S. Attorney in New Jersey.

With the fate of her confirmation still in the air and Nevada’s political landscape more divided than a gambler’s last dollar, one thing’s known–the next few months will be anything but dull.