US attorney for Nevada announces resignation

Nevada U.S. Attorney Nicholas Trutanich announced Tuesday that he would leave the Department of Justice at the end of the month.

“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve the District of Nevada, alongside our federal family, the committed public servants in our office, and our law enforcement partners,” Trutanich said in a prepared statement. “The opportunity to serve here was more than I could have ever imagined, and I’ll leave knowing that the foundation is in place for our office’s continued success.”

Then-President Donald Trump nominated Trutanich for the position, and the Senate unanimously confirmed him in January 2019. He had formerly worked as a chief of staff for then-Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt. Before that, Trutanich served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, where he headed a unit targeting gangs and organized crime.

In a news release about Trutanich’s departure, the Department of Justice said he had worked to “prioritize public safety through targeted, impactful prosecutions and to promote ethics, diversity, and crime prevention.”

Under President Joe Biden, the Justice Department has asked for the resignations of 56 U.S. attorneys appointed by Trump, according to CNN.

It’s fairly customary for the U.S. attorneys to leave their positions after a new president is in office, but the departures are not automatic and don’t necessarily happen all at once. In 2017, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions asked for the resignations of 46 U.S. attorneys who were holdovers from the Obama administration.

As the top federal prosecutor in the state during the coronavirus pandemic, Trutanich launched “Project Veronica.” The project used nearly $7 million in federal grant money and was aimed at curbing the most severe abuse cases in Nevada. Trutanich also led prosecutions against those accused of trying to commit fraud related to the coronavirus relief package.

After George Floyd was killed by police in Minnesota, sparking protests across the country, Trutanich helped lead a nationwide DOJ program to reform police department use-of-force policies.

Trutanich was the first Nevada U.S. Attorney in nearly 25 years to serve on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, providing advice on policy and operational issues affecting the DOJ, according to the news release.

His replacement had not been named as of Tuesday afternoon.

Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter. The Associated Press contributed to this report.