COLUMBIA — The U.S. attorney for South Carolina has been dismissed by President Donald Trump’s administration, as announced by her former office on Tuesday.
Adair Ford Boroughs has served as the state’s lead federal prosecutor since July 2022, following her nomination by then-President Joe Biden. Brook Andrews, Boroughs’ assistant attorney, is currently acting as U.S. attorney until Trump appoints a successor, according to a news release on Tuesday.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, employing around 140 staff members, is tasked with federal criminal prosecution and civil litigation related to the state.
It is common for new presidents to replace U.S. attorneys from the previous administration. In February 2021, Peter McCoy, the previous U.S. attorney and a former GOP state legislator, resigned after the Biden administration requested that he and other U.S. attorneys resign from their positions.
One individual being considered as a potential candidate for Trump’s next nominee is Bryan Stirling, who has served as the director of the state Department of Corrections since the fall of 2013.
“He truly is an exceptional individual,” stated his longtime superior, Gov. Henry McMaster. “He would excel in any office.”
Prior to his current role, Stirling served as deputy attorney general during McMaster’s tenure as attorney general, then transitioned to Gov. Nikki Haley’s administration, initially as chief of staff. After McMaster assumed the governorship, he retained Stirling as the head of the state’s correctional facilities.
Andrews, the acting U.S. attorney, has been with the Department of Justice since 2009, serving as a district ethics officer and working in the division responsible for prosecuting white-collar and general crimes. Before joining the Department of Justice, he clerked for various judges, including the former chief justice of the state Supreme Court, Jean Toal. His online biography indicates he is originally from Columbia.
Boroughs’ Tenure
Having served for just over two and a half years, Boroughs is the longest-serving presidential appointee in the office since Bill Nettles departed in 2016, six years after President Barack Obama appointed him. Sherri Lydon, who followed Nettles, held the position for less than two years, while Peter McCoy resigned eight months after his confirmation in June 2020.
During her tenure, Boroughs emphasized the enforcement of federal civil rights statutes. Her office achieved convictions in five federal hate crime cases, including the first conviction for a hate crime based on gender identity, related to the 2019 murder of a transgender woman.
Jury convicts man for federal hate crime in 2019 slaying of SC transgender woman
Boroughs’ office initiated investigations into jails in Richland and Charleston counties concerning unsafe conditions. A report regarding the Richland County jail indicated that violence, sexual abuse, and contraband are prevalent, likely violating detainees’ constitutional rights to safety. The investigation in Charleston County is still ongoing.
As part of efforts to combat human trafficking and child exploitation, Boroughs supervised the extradition of a Nigerian man charged with involvement in a sextortion scheme that resulted in the death of 17-year-old Gavin Guffey, the son of Rep. Brandon Guffey, R-Rock Hill.
Boroughs described her role as “the honor of my career,” praising the attorneys she worked with in a statement. She did not disclose her future plans.
“It has been my privilege to support them in this vital and patriotic work for as long as I could,” Boroughs stated. “To my colleagues, our law enforcement partners, and the South Carolina community, thank you for trusting me with this responsibility.”
Before entering law, Boroughs was a high school mathematics teacher and later worked in the Department of Justice’s tax division in Washington, D.C., from 2007 until 2013. She returned to South Carolina in 2013, where she served as a law clerk for about four years before becoming a partner at the law firm Boroughs Bryant, LLC.
Boroughs unsuccessfully ran against U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson in South Carolina’s 2nd District in 2020. She announced her candidacy against the long-time Republican incumbent in 2019 from the football field of her alma mater, Williston-Elko High School, where she graduated as valedictorian.
