Durbin blames JD Vance for 18-month vacancy in Northern Illinois U.S. Attorney position

CHICAGO - The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois has remained empty for nearly 18 months and Senator Dick Durbin said Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance is to blame. 

In June, Vance announced a procedural hold on all appointments for U.S. attorneys across the country and earlier this week, he compared Chicago to a "third-world country" in an attempt to counterprogram the Democratic convention.

Speaking at the Illinois delegate breakfast on Thursday, Durbin criticized Vance's stance on crime. 

"We do not need to hear JD Vance preaching about law enforcement… Look at his record and see that he single-handedly stopped the appointment of the U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Illinois and in Cleveland, Ohio… So when he gives us the explanation of what's going on in the city and the state, keep that in mind," said Durbin.  

The U.S. attorney position for the Northern District of Illinois has been vacant since John Lausch stepped down in March 2023. 

Vance is in Georgia Thursday night, repeating his calls backing the blue and supporting law enforcement.