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David Freed (attorney)

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David Freed
United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
In office
November 27, 2017 – January 1, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byPeter Smith
Succeeded byBruce Brandler (acting)
Personal details
Born (1970-07-30) July 30, 1970 (age 54)
Political partyRepublican
SpouseAmy
Children3
EducationWashington and Lee University (BA)
Pennsylvania State University, Carlisle (JD)

David J. Freed (born July 30, 1970) is an American lawyer who served as the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania from 2017 to 2021. Prior to assuming that role, he was the District Attorney of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.

In September 2017, he was nominated by President Donald Trump to become the next United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, a position to which he was confirmed on November 15, 2017.[1][2] As U.S. Attorney, he controversially announced that several mail-in ballots had been discarded in a Pennsylvania election office in September 2020. The announcement was considered out of protocol, and intended to undermine public confidence in the 2020 election (which President Donald Trump had frequently claimed without evidence would be rigged against him). Shortly after Freed's announcement, it was revealed that the ballots had been mistakenly discarded by a temp worker.

Freed announced his resignation in December 2020.[3]

Early life and education

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Freed grew up in Camp Hill, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Camp Hill High School in 1988. He earned his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. He earned a Juris Doctor from Dickinson School of Law of Penn State University.[4]

Law career

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After graduating from law school, Freed worked in a private practice focusing on insurance defense litigation. In 1997, he became Deputy Prosecutor of York County. In 1998, he became an Assistant District Attorney of Cumberland County.

In 2006, he was appointed District Attorney after incumbent M.L. Skip Ebert Jr. was elected judge within the Cumberland County Court of Common Pleas. Freed was elected in 2007 and re-elected in 2011 without any opposition.[5]

2012 election for PA Attorney General

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Main article: 2012 Pennsylvania Attorney General election

Freed sought and won the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania Attorney General unopposed, after State Senator John Rafferty withdrew from the race.[6] He lost to Democrat Kathleen Kane, a former Assistant D.A. of Lackawanna County, in the fall general election.

U.S. Attorney

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On November 15, 2017, Freed was confirmed by the United States Senate via a voice vote as the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, a nomination that was supported by both of Pennsylvania's U.S. Senators, Democrat Bob Casey Jr. and Republican Pat Toomey.[7] He was sworn in on November 27, 2017.

In September 2020, Freed's office issued a public announcement that nine military mail-in ballots had been disposed in the trash at a Pennsylvania election office.[8] The announcement specifically mentioned that seven of the votes had been cast for Trump.[8] The decision to publicly disclose that nine ballots had been discarded was outside normal protocol, leading to concerns that Freed's office was stoking conspiracies about election fraud and seeking to undermine public confidence in the 2020 election.[9][8][10] At the time, President Donald Trump had repeatedly made baseless claims that there would large-scale fraud in the 2020 election against his re-election.[9] It was later revealed that a temp worker at the election office had mistakenly discarded the ballots.[8][11]

After Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, Freed announced his resignation.[3][12][13]

Personal life

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Freed lives in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, with his wife and three children.[14]

Electoral history

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Pennsylvania Attorney General election, 2012
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kathleen Kane 3,073,007 56.1
Republican David Freed 2,280,989 41.6
Libertarian Marakay Rogers 126,534 2.3
Total votes 5,480,530 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican

References

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  1. ^ Murphy, Jan (September 8, 2017). "Cumberland County DA David Freed nominated for U.S. Attorney post". Penn Live. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  2. ^ "Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed confirmed as U.S. attorney". Carlisle Sentinel. November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Leader, Times (28 December 2020). "Freed announces resignation as U.S. Attorney for Middle District | Times Leader". Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  4. ^ "David Freed for Attorney General: Biography". Official Campaign Biography. David Freed for Attorney General. Archived from the original on June 27, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  5. ^ "Biography". Archived from the original on 2012-06-27. Retrieved 2012-07-03.
  6. ^ Micek, John L. (January 12, 2012). "Rafferty ends bid to become state attorney general". The Allentown Morning Call. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  7. ^ Schweigert, Keith (November 16, 2017). "Senators Pat Toomey and Bob Casey laud U.S. Senate's confirmation of David Freed to U.S. attorney". FOX 43. WPMT. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  8. ^ a b c d Lynott, Jerry (2020-09-27). "'I would not have done it if I was U.S. Attorney,' retired prosecutor says of Freed's ballot probe disclosures". Times Leader. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  9. ^ a b "Investigation over Trump ballots proves Pa. election system works: Luzerne County officials". pennlive. 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  10. ^ Corasaniti, Nick; Schmidt, Michael S. (2020-09-25). "Justice Dept. Discloses Pa. Ballot Inquiry, Prompting Fears of Politicization". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  11. ^ "Federal probe focuses on discarded Trump ballots in Luzerne County | TribLIVE.com". triblive.com. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  12. ^ "Top federal prosecutor resigns following ballot fraud investigation". Fox News. 29 December 2020.
  13. ^ "Top federal prosecutor resigns after Pennsylvania election fraud investigation". 29 December 2020.
  14. ^ "Key Staff Members". Official Staff Biographies. Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
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Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Attorney General of Pennsylvania
2012 		Succeeded by
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