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South Carolina’s top federal prosecutor is out of a job as the wheels of justice in the Palmetto State prepare to move forward in a new direction under a new administration.
U.S. attorney Adair Ford Boroughs – belatedly tapped by former president Joe Biden to serve as South Carolina’s top prosecutor – has been relieved of her duties by the administration of incoming president Donald Trump.
Boroughs took office in July 2022, a full year-and-a-half after Biden took office. As previously reported, she was the former president’s third choice for this office – which oversees all federal prosecutions in the Palmetto State.
Who will replace her? That is very much an open question… one South Carolina Republicans are eager to have answered sooner rather than later.
Boroughs’ “termination” was announced by her office on Tuesday (February 18, 2025). In her place, first assistant U.S. attorney Brook B. Andrews has been named the acting leader of the agency.
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Under the Vacancies Reform Act, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Brook B. Andrews is now the Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina.
— U.S. Attorney SC (@USAO_SC) February 18, 2025
Read more about Andrews career as a federal prosecutor: https://t.co/P0vqm5Htdu pic.twitter.com/McIwpkpASp
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Will Andrews’ stay on the job for long? Not if one Palmetto State congressman can help it. Ever since Trump was elected, fourth district representative William Timmons of Greenville, S.C. has made it his mission to ensure interim U.S. attorneys across the nation are every bit as aligned as their permanent successors with the ideological orientation of the incoming administration.
Timmons, a former prosecutor, was endorsed by Trump in his recent congressional race.
“With the Trump administration hitting the ground running, I am pleased to see Biden-appointee Adair Ford Boroughs terminated as United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina,” Timmons told FITSNews. “However, this is only the first step. I, along with thirty-two of my congressional colleagues, have called for passing over all U.S. attorneys’ like-minded first assistants, and appointing Interim U.S. attorneys that are aligned with the new administration across all ninety-four districts.”
“President Trump was given a mandate to root out the rot from our weaponized, two-tiered justice system, and that requires a clean slate,” Timmons added.
We concur…
No disrespect to Andrews, but elections have consequences… and one of those consequences is the new administration gets to pick who fills these posts. And that should go for both the short- and the long-term.
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RELATED | FRONTRUNNERS EMERGE FOR TOP PROSECUTOR
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Why is this such a big issue in South Carolina? Because as FITSNews has previously reported, filling this position has proven to be an exercise in herding cats – irrespective of party affiliation.
After his first electoral win in 2016, Trump struggled mightily to fill this seat – which requires the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate. Specifically, he couldn’t get warring “Republicans” in the Palmetto State to budge on their preferred nominees. A lengthy proxy war ensued – which prevented attorney Sherri Lydon from assuming the office until May 2018, nearly a year-and-a-half after Trump was sworn in. This news outlet praised Lydon’s work, but she wasn’t on the job for very long – with Trump tapping her for a federal judgeship a little more than a year later. Lydon took her place on the federal bench in December 2019 and former S.C. House judiciary chairman Peter McCoy followed her into office – serving from April 2020 until February of the following year.
While Democrats typically grease the skids of power more efficiently than the GOP, they struggled mightily to fill this position, too. As FITSNews reported at the time, Biden’s first choice for this seat was S.C. first circuit solicitor David Pascoe. Unfortunately for Pascoe, his nomination was blocked by U.S. senator Lindsey Graham. Former S.C. House minority leader James Smith emerged as the next favored candidate, but he was dogged by his proximity to a 2018 scandal involving improper contracts he received from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Boroughs’ office has overseen several high-profile cases – including the federal prosecution of various defendants in the ‘Murdaugh Murders’ crime and corruption saga.
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“It has been the honor of my career to return to the Department of Justice and to serve alongside the men and women of the U.S. attorney’s office,” Boroughs said upon her departure. “The career men and women of this office work tirelessly day in and day out to meet the Department’s mission – to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights. It has been my honor to support them in this critical and patriotic work however I could for as long as I could. To my colleagues, our law enforcement partners, and our South Carolina community, thank you for trusting me with this work.”
While some Republicans have questioned Boroughs’ priorities as prosecutor, her office has been adept at maximizing publicity for its work – and for the most part has not come off as excessively political in doing so. Releases from Boroughs’ office have dispassionately focused on the facts of each case while her statements have not seemed overtly driven by ideological motivations.
Certainly, her successor will be challenged to do more on multiple fronts… while maintaining the office’s communicative edge.
Trump’s top choice to replace Boroughs on a permanent basis was Columbia, S.C. attorney Debbie Barbier – a former federal prosecutor who briefly advised him following the disputed 2020 election. Barbier passed on the job, however, prompting speculation to shift to Bryan Stirling, director of the S.C. Department of Corrections (SCDC).
Stirling was high on Trump’s list for this position in 2016 and has been encouraged to seek the post this go-round, as well. Along with former federal prosecutor Matt Austin of Charleston, S.C., Stirling is viewed as one of the frontrunners for the job. We’re also hearing governor Henry McMaster – who continues to wield significant influence with the White House – could try to install one of his in-house counsels to the position. McMaster previously served as U.S. attorney for South Carolina from June 1981 to July 1985 under Ronald Reagan.
Count on this media outlet to keep our audience up to speed on the latest developments as Trump and his allies – including Timmons – seek to appoint a new interim U.S. attorney while confirming someone to hold the office for the duration of his term.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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1 comment
I am curious why you “concur” with William Timmons and his political pandering? He knows very little about the criminal justice system and even less about the federal system. Sure, elections have consequences, but tell us specifically what has been happening in the federal criminal system in South Carolina and how you disagree with it. And tell us how putting a MAGA prosecutor, or whatever you want from the new administration, is going to fix those imaginary problems?
To ruin the suspense, I am certain you do not have any examples. The federal criminal system in South Carolina is certainly not easy on criminal defendants. The U.S. Attorney’s Office here is not known for being political or soft on crime, which are the only two things it would seem like you should care about.
I have had cases with Andrews. He is a good prosecutor. He has spent the majority of his career with the Department of Justice. He is an honest guy. He has also put a lot of defendants (including some of my clients) in jail for very long periods of time. Andrews will make a fine interim U.S. Attorney until the President and our Senators pick a permanent one. Timmons’ silly campaign letter does not change that.
William Timmons, and you, should not get to say, unchallenged, that you want prosecutors aligned with the new President without explaining exactly why you think that makes sense. Otherwise this is devolving into an opinion blog with the occasional campaign propaganda pieces.