Newsom foe picked by Trump for key prosecutor job vows to 'dismantle' sanctuary state shields

"We're going to go after criminal illegal immigration," Essayli continued. 

Setting himself up for a potential showdown in the coming months with Newsom, who "Trump-proofed" the state with a $50 million legal fund to protect illegal immigrants in the state, Essayli vowed to "dismantle the sanctuary state status that they've enjoyed here in California."

Additionally, Essayli said as U.S. attorney, his office will tackle public corruption, noting, "I don't think we've had robust public corruption cases and investigations. It's long overdue."

When asked if Newsom had reached out to him since his appointment, Essayli laughed.

"No," he said. "We don't talk."

Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom's office for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication.

"We're gonna put a plan together," he said. "That's not something I'm obviously prepared to discuss or signal at this point, but I assure you that something will be done, and when we do, it will be very well known in public."

Just hours before his appointment to be the next top federal prosecutor in the district that includes Los Angeles County, Essayli introduced Assembly Bill 844, which sought to reverse California's existing law that allows biological males to participate in girls' and women's sports teams corresponding to their gender identity. But the Assembly's Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism rejected AB 844 along party lines on Tuesday.

Essayli called the tolerance of trans girls in girls' sports "not just bad policy, it's also a flagrant violation of Title IX and puts California schools at risk of losing billions in federal funding," during the committee hearing. "I believe California will come into compliance with Title IX, either through this legislative process or the court process."

He resigned from his post as assemblyman that evening to accept the federal position. 

In a news release, the U.S. attorney's office said Essayli, born to two Lebanese immigrants, was sworn into the country's largest attorney's office outside of Washington, D.C., on Wednesday morning. The office, with over 250 lawyers on staff, serves roughly 20 million residents across the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.