Chicago’s top federal prosecutor to step down in ‘early 2023’

WASHINGTON — During an announcement Thursday that a special counsel will look into classified documents that were in President Biden’s possession, Chicago’s top federal prosecutor made some news of his own.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said that U.S. Attorney of the Northern District of Illinois John Lausch will step down sometime in “early 2023” to enter the private sector.

Earlier this week, Garland asked John Lausch to review classified documents that were found in President Biden’s Penn Biden Center and his Delaware home. Garland and Lausch announced that Robert Hur, the former Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in Maryland, will lead the investigation.

Lausch was nominated in Aug. 2017 by former President Trump. Prior to his work for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Lausch was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. He was an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois from 1999 to 2010.

After President Biden was elected, reports indicated that Lausch was asked to resign by the new president’s administration. Illinois senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth stepped in — writing Biden a letter arguing against the move.

Lausch stayed on and helped announce one of the biggest cases of his tenure, the indictment of Mike Madigan.

At this time, it’s unknown when exactly the Joliet native is stepping down.