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ST. LOUIS — The office of Eastern Missouri’s top federal prosecutor announced Tuesday its chief had resigned, leaving a vacancy for President Donald J. Trump to fill amid efforts to reshape the U.S. Department of Justice.

U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming resigned effective midnight this past Friday, according to a statement. She did not provide a reason.

“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to lead the United States Attorney’s Office for the last four and a half years,� Fleming said in the statement.

Fleming had submitted her resignation more than a month ago to a federal office that oversees U.S. attorneys, according to spokesman Robert Patrick. Her request was recently approved.

Now her departure, more than five years after she was first appointed by then-Attorney General William P. Barr during the first Trump presidency, leaves an opening for a new appointment from an administration that has taken a hands-on approach to its Justice Department.

Since Trump took office in January, officials have , who worked on cases related to the Jan. 6 attacks at the U.S. Capitol and who investigate public corruption. They have shifted priorities to prosecuting immigration cases, and in favor of enforcing the president’s executive orders.

Matthew Drake, who has worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office since 2002, has taken over the office in Missouri temporarily, the office said.

The administration has 120 days to appoint a permanent pick and gain Senate approval before Drake’s tenure expires.

St. Louis defense attorney Terry Niehoff said he anticipated the administration’s new pick would be required to toe the line.

“I think the vetting is going to be: Are you going to do what we tell you or not?� he said.

Spokespeople for the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as Republican U.S. Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt, did not respond on Tuesday to requests for comment.

Fleming was appointed in December 2020 to take over eastern Missouri’s federal prosecutor’s office, which oversees cases in 49 counties. At the time, she was chief of the office’s appellate division. She had also previously worked for the Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner firm.

During her time as top prosecutor, the office led the nation in gun prosecutions, including carjackings, armed robberies and homicides. Additional attorneys were hired to handle cases involving crimes against children.

And in 2023 following the resignation of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner, Fleming’s office signed up multiple attorneys to handle murder cases in state court to help clear a backlog. Her prosecutors also signed a diversion agreement with Gardner to settle claims that Gardner misused public money to save her personal law license.

“Sayler Fleming has been a dedicated partner to the St. Louis region and the law enforcement community,� said Robert Tracy, chief of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. “She has played a key role in SLMPD’s mission to reduce violent crime through her office and leadership.�

At a news conference Tuesday, current Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore called Fleming an excellent top federal prosecutor.

He also said his name was not in consideration for the job.

“I will be here in the circuit attorney’s office for the rest of my term,� he said.

Trump will likely announce his pick for her replacement in the next several weeks.

U.S. attorneys serve four-year terms.