Roughly two weeks after his sudden resignation as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, Byung “BJay” Pak has a new job.
Pak will rejoin Alston & Bird, where he began his career in private practice in 2000, the law firm said Thursday. Pak will return to the firm in February and be based in its Atlanta office.
“BJay is a gifted attorney, dedicated public servant, and a leader of considerable experience and skill,” Alston & Bird Chairman and Managing Partner Richard Hays said in an emailed statement. “He brings additional stature and deepens our reputation as a leading choice for internal investigation counsel, white-collar defense, and other complex civil and criminal litigation. It is with great pride that we welcome BJay back to the firm.”
In 2017, Pak was appointed the top federal prosecutor in the Northern District of Georgia by President Donald Trump, reportedly making history as the first-ever Korean American to hold the position of U.S. Attorney. He previously represented a portion of Gwinnett County while serving in the state House of Representatives.
Pak’s Jan. 4 resignation came a day after an audio recording became public of a conversation between Trump and his allies and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which Trump pressured the state’s top elections official to help him “find” enough votes to overturn the Nov. 3 contest. Joe Biden won by nearly 12,000 votes.
On the recording, Trump references a “never-Trumper U.S. attorney there.”
It’s unclear if that was a reference to Pak. But Atlanta and Fulton County are within the Northern District of Georgia, and in the recording, Trump talks repeatedly of debunked accusations of electoral fraud in Georgia, including in Fulton.
Pak did not give a reason for his sudden resignation. But he said he was grateful for the chance to have served in the position.
Credit: ALYSSA POINTER
Credit: ALYSSA POINTER
“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,” Pak said in an emailed statement. “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. I am grateful to President Trump and the United States Senate for the opportunity to serve, and to former Attorneys General (Jeff) Sessions and (William) Barr for their leadership of the department.”
Bobby Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, was appointed by Trump to take over the Atlanta office.
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