Say what, Wa Post writer? “As chief executive, the president overseas federal prosecutions...????
Are you sure about that? What happened to the Attorney General who oversees federal cases/prosecutions? Is he just “chopped liver” or “window dressing”?
Back to “Law 101” please.
The President is definitely the Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Justice.
In theory, the President appoints subordinate executives who, at the very least, adhere to his basic philosophy.
Of course, in Trump’s case, no one has any idea why he appoints the people he does.
But, in theory, Trump could appoint no one, or he could nominate only people who could not be confirmed, in which case he could then personally make every decision to prosecute, or not prosecute.