US rep waiting for guidance on finding new prosecutor

CHICAGO (AP) - A spokesman for the congressman expected to take the lead in identifying candidates for Chicago's vacant U.S. attorney job says the Republican must wait for guidance from President Donald Trump's administration.

Tuesday's comments by John Shimkus' aide came after Illinois' U.S. senators, Democrats Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, accused Shimkus of moving too slowly to commit to a bipartisan selection.

U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon resigned Monday after the Department of Justice asked holdover U.S. attorneys to step down.

The tradition is for the state's top-ranking member of Congress from the president's party to lead the process. That's Shimkus. Durbin and Duckworth say they started discussing the process with Shimkus before Trump's inauguration.

But spokesman Jordan Haverly said in a phone interview Shimkus intends to establish a "collaborative and inclusive" process.