Former Pasco mayor won’t become U.S. Attorney, but he has a new job
The former mayor of Pasco won’t become the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, but he will be staying on in a new role.
The Eastern District announced in a news release Thursday that after Serrano’s 120-day appointment as Interim U.S. Attorney expired this week, he accepted a role as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney to the Attorney General.
“I appreciate the opportunity to continue serving my community as a member of the Department of Justice,” Serrano said in the news release. “I am honored to continue working with the excellent team we have at the United States Attorney’s Office here in Eastern Washington, and I look forward to doing everything I can to continue keeping this community safe and strong.”
But Washington Sen. Patty Murray told Tri-City Herald in an email that moving Serrano, the former mayor of Pasco, to this new leadership position was an attempt to skirt the nomination process.
“The Trump administration is attempting a transparent end run around the Constitution and Congress by appointing Pete Serrano to a position he is not qualified to hold after the Eastern District declined to extend his tenure as U.S. Attorney.”
“The people of Washington state do not want a January 6th apologist and anti-abortion extremist who lacks basic prosecutorial experience serving as U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Washington. This move spits in the face of the law and Congress—and it sets a dangerous precedent and risks jeopardizing the legitimacy of the U.S. Attorney’s office moving forward,” she wrote.
Why wasn’t he confirmed?
Interim U.S. Attorneys cannot serve more than 120 days without being officially nominated for the position or appointed by the U.S. District Court until a new U.S. Attorney is chosen.
Serrano’s nomination was likely killed by the threat of a “blue slip” process due to opposition from Murray.
Murray said Serrano’s “extreme right-wing views” were out of step with the people of Washington state.
Serrano is the founder of the Silent Majority Foundation, a right-leaning legal nonprofit that has repeatedly sued Washington state on issues such as COVID-19 restrictions and gun rights.
The “blue slip” process meant that Serrano’s appointment never even made it before the Senate for a confirmation vote.
President Donald Trump was recently caught on a hot mic expressing frustration about blue slips being used to block so many of his nominations.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Eastern Washington has a staff of about 79 prosecutors, civil litigators and support staff. They prosecute federal crimes and civil cases. The office is based out of Spokane, but there are federal courthouses in Richland and Yakima.
A new interim U.S. Attorney has not yet been announced.
Serrano recently won an unopposed reelection to his Pasco city council seat without campaigning, but has not made an announcement on whether he intends to rejoin the council.
He will have to make a decision on that before the end of the year. If he chooses not to take office, the Pasco City Council will open the seat to applications for an appointment to fill the seat.
This story was originally published December 11, 2025 at 12:18 PM.
