Senate confirms Daniel Rosen as Minnesota’s next U.S. Attorney

Longtime Minneapolis commercial litigator Daniel Rosen was confirmed Tuesday as Minnesota’s top federal prosecutor.

With a single 51-47 vote, the U.S. Senate confirmed more than 100 of President Donald Trump’s nominees, including Rosen. The confirmations were uncharacteristically held up in the Senate by top Democrats who blocked many of the Trump administration’s picks for federally appointed positions.

The impasse appeared to have broken mid-September after Rosen’s nomination passed favorably out of the Judiciary Committee with support from Minnesota’s senators.

On Tuesday, Minnesota Sens. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar voted against the bloc of nominations that included Rosen.

“Daniel Rosen was one of over 100 nominees put forth as a block,” according to a statement from Smith’s office. “Senator Smith voted no on this group because she’s concerned too many Trump nominees put loyalty to him ahead of service to the American people. She hopes Rosen proves different and serves all Minnesotans with fairness.”

Rosen will take over for acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, the leading prosecutor in the Feeding Our Future children’s nutrition fraud trials, who was chosen for the role in May.

“During a summer marked by violence in our state, Joe Thompson led the office with integrity and dedication,” Sen. Klobuchar said in a statement. “As our next U.S. Attorney, Dan Rosen, who was recommended by a nominations committee formed by Congressman Emmer, composed of attorneys and former judges in our state, must continue the important work of combating crime and advancing public safety. Dan will be following in the footsteps of many fine US Attorneys, who, regardless of political background, have been committed to justice and the rule of law.”

Rosen, a Minnesota native and University of Minnesota Law School alum, will be taking the reins as the U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to handle a number of high-profile prosecutions, including that of Vance Boelter, who is charged in the slaying of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, and numerous indictments against defendants accused of defrauding public programs.

The schemes involving Minnesota autism centers and housing stabilization services came after the U.S. Attorney’s Office investigated the mammoth Feeding Our Future fraud case. The case, colloquially named after the nonprofit at the center of the massive investigation, alleged that a web of defendants collected reimbursements from a federal child nutrition program for meals they never served, using the money for lavish purchases.

Trump nominated Rosen after Minnesota’s four Republicans in Congress put him and two others forward for consideration. The lawmakers praised Rosen’s Navy service and advocacy in “community and charitable issues, especially matters of particular interest to the American Jewish community,” the lawmakers wrote in their recommendation.

“We are pleased to see that Dan Rosen, a distinguished attorney with an unwavering commitment to public safety, has been confirmed as the United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota,” U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer said in a statement following the confirmation. “We are confident that Mr. Rosen will fight to protect Minnesotans, and their hard-earned tax dollars, from the scourge of crime and fraud we’ve seen in our state. We were proud to support Dan and thank our colleagues in the Senate for advancing his nomination.”