Seattle City Attorney adding staff for Trump's exec orders

SEATTLE - Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison announced a plan to add staff positions to keep up with the Trump administration's executive orders.

Davison, the only elected Republican in the City of Seattle, says the new positions will work to address the "increased workload" caused by the President's federal executive orders, and any impact they may have on Seattle.

"It’s critical that we add these positions as soon as possible," said City Attorney Davison. "In just a few short weeks since the inauguration, dozens of executive orders have been issued. Whenever there is potential negative impact to Seattle from any Trump Administration action, I will take every measure to respond appropriately and within the bounds of law."

What we know:

The staff will be organized into subject matter areas focusing on federal actions impacting Seattle, the City Attorney's Office said.

Just last week, the CAO joined a multi-region lawsuit against the Trump administration after they threatened to pull federal funding from "sanctuary cities." This came after several counties and cities refused to direct their police forces to carry out federal immigration enforcement duties.

"Seattle can't be caught flat-footed as the Trump Administration unleashes its chaos campaign through executive actions that target our institutions, communities, and funding," said Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson. "Expanding the City Attorney’s Federal Response Team helps push back against federal overreach and defends Seattle. I fully support City Attorney Davison’s strategy and will work to make these positions permanent."

What's next:

Davison will submit a formal request to the City Council for authorization to add positions.

The Source: Information in this story comes from the Seattle City Attorney's Office.