President Donald Trump has nominated Pete Serrano, mayor of Pasco, Washington, to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. Serrano will begin a 120-day interim appointment on Monday while awaiting Senate confirmation.
Serrano, who previously ran for Washington state attorney general in 2024, will step down as mayor Sunday night at 11:59 p.m. to take on the federal role. He will also leave his position as founder and general counsel of the Silent Majority Foundation, a legal group active in high-profile constitutional cases, including a pending U.S. Supreme Court challenge to Washington’s ban on high-capacity firearm magazines.
Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie Van Marter has been leading the office since July 7, following the resignation of Acting U.S. Attorney Richard Barker. Serrano’s appointment would formally replace her.
Speaking to The Center Square, Serrano called the nomination “a great opportunity to serve at least half of the state” and said the process only began moving in the past six weeks.
Silent Majority Foundation client Wally Wentz, owner of Gator’s Custom Guns in Kelso, expressed confidence in the group’s continued work on the magazine ban case, noting that lead counsel Austin Hatcher will take over. Serrano and Wentz believe the Supreme Court could decide by year’s end whether to hear the case, which could clarify whether large-capacity magazines are constitutionally protected “arms.”
Serrano’s appointment adds a staunch conservative legal voice to the Justice Department’s leadership in Washington state, aligning with Trump’s broader push to install attorneys committed to constitutional originalism and Second Amendment protections.
