President Donald Trump has nominated former House Speaker Todd Gilbert of Shenandoah County to be the next U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia — the top federal prosecutor for the western half of the state.
Gilbert had been one of two attorneys recommended to the president by Virginia’s two Democratic U.S. senators, which is the standard procedure for such positions. The other candidate was Robert Tracci, a former Albemarle County commonwealth’s attorney and a former deputy U.S. attorney general who now works in the state attorney general’s office.
The three Republican congressmen who represent territory covered by the Western District — Ben Cline of Botetourt County, Morgan Griffith of Salem and John McGuire of Goochland County — initiated their own nominating process but did not disclose who they recommended to the White House.
It’s unclear when the U.S. Senate will take up Gilbert’s nomination, which came as part of 13 other nominations for U.S. attorneys across the country.
Gilbert began his legal career as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney in Lynchburg before moving back to his native Shenandoah County. He prosecuted cases in Frederick County and Warren County before being elected to the General Assembly, where he later rose to speaker of the House the last time Republicans held the majority. For the past two sessions, he’s been the House minority leader but stepped down from that position in May with the U.S. attorney position pending.
In a statement, Gilbert said: “I am honored to be nominated by the President to serve in this important role, and I look forward to the Senate confirmation process. Serving the citizens of the Shenandoah Valley has been the honor of a lifetime, and I look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve them by helping to keep our communities safe.”
If confirmed as U.S. attorney, Gilbert would need to resign as a state legislator, which would set in motion a special election for his House seat, which covers Page, Shenandoah and parts of Rockingham and Warren counties.