CHICAGO (WLS) — The White House named Andrew Boutros the interim U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois, a spokesperson for the office told the ABC7 Chicago I-Team Friday.

Sources with knowledge of the process told the I-Team U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, Illinois’ highest ranking Republican in Washington, interviewed a number of qualified candidates and passed along at least three names to the White House.

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Boutros was not on that list, even though he was interviewed as part of the process. Jeff Cramer, Mark Schneider and Brendan O’Leary were, sources said.

Seasoned former federal prosecutor turned white collar defense attorney Boutros is returning to the office he once served for nearly eight years.

A first-generation American, Boutros’ resume reflects he’s been a partner at a number of firms, and teaches at the University of Chicago’s law school.

LaHood spoke with the I-Team about the search last month.

“This is, you know, one of the most important U.S. attorney’s offices in the country in terms of their work on public corruption, fighting crime, enforcing immigration laws,” LaHood said.

As the I-Team has previously reported, federal prosecutors in Chicago have not had a permanent boss in years, and the new appointment would come at a critical juncture for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as immigration and deportation cases are likely to fill federal court dockets.

Joliet native John Lausch, nominated by President Donald Trump during his first term in 2017, was the last confirmed lead prosecutor in the office.

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Acting U.S. Attorney Morris “Sonny” Pasqual was put in the top spot on a temporary tenure nearly two years ago. President Joe Biden’s pick to fill the job, April Perry, was never confirmed. She was blocked by then-Sen. JD Vance.

Legal experts say naming a new interim leader for Illinois’ Northern District allows the White House to temporarily bypass Senate confirmation.

“This president will almost certainly want at some point, earlier than later in the administration, to have a confirmed United States attorney, that person speaks with more authority and carries more weight than an interim or an acting,” ABC7 Chicago legal analyst Gil Soffer said.

Data from the U.S. government show the number of criminal indictments filed by the Northern District of Illinois’ office has dropped relatively steadily in the last four years, from 924 in 2019 and bottoming out at 396 in 2024. That’s the lowest number of criminal indictments in at least 30 years.

When asked about the appointment on Friday, Boutros told the I-Team “no comment.”

“The position of U.S. attorney is exceptionally important. It’s the chief federal law enforcement officer in the entire state, and it’s very important to have a U.S. attorney, a presidentially appointed Senate-confirmed U.S. attorney. And acting can only do so much, so much. An acting U.S. attorney won’t want to and shouldn’t set large policy initiatives,” Soffer said.

Boutros’ appointment is effective April 7.

In a statement Friday, LaHood said:

“The Northern District of Illinois plays a critical role in fighting crime and public corruption. The Trump Administration worked swiftly to appoint an interim U.S. Attorney to help the people of Chicago and northern Illinois. I am confident this will address rising crime rates, support enforcement of our immigration laws, fight public corruption, and restore faith in our justice system. I look forward to continuing to work with the Administration on these vital issues as they work to permanently fill the vital U.S. Attorney role.”

Illinois U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth released the following statement late Friday:

“The White House has assured our offices that there will be no nomination for the permanent role of U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois until the White House Counsel’s Office has consulted with both of our offices.”