By Tim Clouser
The Center Square

U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., sent a letter on Wednesday urging the Senate to confirm Pete Serrano as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Washington before Dec. 4.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed the former Pasco mayor and Republican nominee for state attorney general to the U.S. Department of Justice in August. That started a clock that allows Serrano to serve as an interim U.S. attorney for 120 days, with that deadline approaching within the next month.

While the federal government is currently grappling with the longest shutdown in American history, the Senate is still conducting business. Republicans confirmed more than 100 presidential nominees just a few days into the shutdown, after changing a rule that allowed the Senate to vote on multiple nominations at once.

“Public safety is a paramount priority for the citizens I represent,” Baumgartner wrote in a letter to the heads of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “That safety relies on a fully empowered, Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorney to lead federal law enforcement efforts and partner with our state and local agencies.”

According to the Center for Presidential Transition, the average time it takes for the Senate to confirm a nominee has almost quadrupled from the Reagan to Biden administrations. During President Donald Trump’s first term, the average was 161 days, compared to 193 days under the Biden administration.

Serrano filed for reelection before vacating his gig as mayor and a member of the Pasco City Council in August. Voters approved him for another term earlier this week, so Serrano can still technically rejoin the council if the Senate misses the Dec. 4 deadline; otherwise, Pasco has to appoint his replacement.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., says she plans to block Serrano’s confirmation with something called the “blue slip” rule. The process allows home-state senators to veto confirmations, but the Republican majority can still proceed if it chooses, since the “blue slip” is a chamber rule rather than an actual law.

“Serrano has tried to rewrite the history of the violent January 6th insurrection, thinks the Supreme Court overturning Roe and allowing states to pass criminal abortion bans was ‘the right decision,’ and has fought in court to unleash dangerous assault weapons on our streets,” Murray wrote on Friday in a statement to The Center Square. “His extreme right-wing views are far out of step with the people of Washington state, and I will be using every legislative tool I have to block his confirmation.”

While on the election trail last year for state attorney general, Serrano raised concerns about the lack of due process that some Jan. 6 defendants faced after their arrests. On abortion, he vowed to protect state law, which allows the procedure, since the U.S. Supreme Court left it up to the states to legislate.

Serrano also previously served as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Energy before launching the Silent Majority Foundation, a nonprofit that defends Second Amendment rights and other civil liberties.

He lost the 2024 election to Attorney General Nick Brown by 423,686 votes, but won 29 of the state’s 39 counties, including nearly all areas where he would serve as U.S. attorney. Since taking his interim role, Serrano has helped sentence drug traffickers, illegal immigrants who shot at police, child predators and more.

His team participated in Operation Rolling Thunder, which resulted in 55 arrests, including individuals wanted for murder, child sexual abuse and kidnapping. Serrano also played a role in Operation Liberty Lake, which led to 13 arrests of individuals tied to sexual abuse and child exploitation in the region.

“This is exactly why we need Mr. Serrano confirmed,” Baumgartner wrote in his letter. “The safety and security of Eastern Washington are not partisan issues. My goal is simple: to ensure the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District is fully functional and led by a qualified, committed professional.”

Serrano’s office did not respond to The Center Square’s requests for comment before publishing.