Maryland U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron resigned Wednesday, stepping down amid rapid changes to the U.S. Department of Justice under President Donald Trump.

In a brief statement posted to the office’s website, Barron announced that his resignation was effective immediately. Barron, a Democrat, was nominated by then-President Joe Biden and has held the job since October 2021.

“Serving as United States Attorney has been the honor of a lifetime,” Barron said. “The office’s career attorneys and administrative staff are public servants of exceptional caliber. In support of our mission, they perform their responsibilities with excellence while maintaining the highest standards of professional conduct and working with them has been a great privilege.”

Barron, a former state delegate from Prince George’s County and the first Black U.S. attorney for Maryland, did not respond to a request for comment.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick for the job, took over the Justice Department this month after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate on a 54-46 vote.

Reuters reported that termination notices were sent to “at least some” U.S. Attorneys around the country who had been appointed by Biden. The emails were sent by the White House’s deputy director for the office of presidential personnel and told recipients: “At the direction of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as U.S. Attorney is terminated, effective immediately.”

A spokesman for the office said Barron’s first assistant, Phil Selden, remains with the office and was acting as U.S. Attorney.

Anticipating the likelihood of Trump replacing Barron, law enforcement partners had attempted to rally around him in recent months in hopes he could remain. Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates was among those who sung Barron’s praises, saying he was key to helping with a sweeping drug case in Southwest Baltimore.

The Banner also reported that Barron was trying to land an indictment related to the Key Bridge disaster with hopes of taking the case to a grand jury this year.

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Bates said late Wednesday that with Barron’s resignation, law enforcement had “lost a true partner in fighting crime in our city and in our region.”

“I don’t think anybody can underestimate what he was able to bring in terms of the partnership,” Bates said. “Erek remembered the residents of the cities and suburbs and took handgun cases and was able to put violent offenders behind bars.”

Bates called Barron “in so many ways the leader of the team.”

“He will be missed,” Bates said.

Barron had also rankled some within the office. After interviewing 25 current and former DOJ employees, Bloomberg Law reported last month it found the office under Barron’s leadership had experienced management challenges, which included a drop in morale and productivity.

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Rep. Kweisi Mfume, a Democrat, lamented Barron’s departure in a statement Thursday.

“Erek Barron has been a great U.S. attorney who never sought the limelight or recognition and was totally concentrated on making sure that bad actors did not thrive in our City or State,” Mfume said. “He has set the standard for partnership across multiple levels of government to make a real difference in driving down crime in our communities, especially for our most vulnerable."

In an email to staff late Wednesday, Barron told employees: “Witnessing your hard work and your unwavering commitment to service has been an inspiration. I am incredibly proud of the accomplishments we have achieved together, and I know that the best is yet to come for each of you and the office.”

Dan Cox, a former Maryland gubernatorial candidate and Trump loyalist, has said previously that he would like to be considered for the job. Reached by phone Wednesday, Cox said he had just left a meeting with Bondi about “a different matter” and declined to comment on the U.S. attorney job.

Andrew C. White, a prominent Baltimore attorney whose firm represented Trump in a criminal investigation, has also expressed interest in the job. He also declined to comment.

A University of Maryland graduate with a law degree from George Washington University, Barron began his career as a state and federal prosecutor and also served as a partner at a Baltimore-based law firm before becoming U.S. attorney, according to his official bio.