Trump taps former deputy attorney general for US attorney in Seattle

SEATTLE -- President Donald Trump on Thursday nominated Brian Moran, a former top official in the Washington state attorney general's office, to be the next top federal prosecutor in Seattle.

Moran, who now works with the Seattle law firm of Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe, supervised nearly 600 state lawyers as chief deputy attorney general from 2006 to 2013 under Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna. Before that he was the office's chief criminal prosecutor beginning in 1998, under Democratic Attorney General Chris Gregoire.

If confirmed by the Senate, Moran would become U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington. The current U.S. attorney is Annette Hayes, who took over in 2014 when Jenny Durkan — now Seattle's mayor — left for private practice.

Moran said in an email he was honored and humbled by the nomination.

"I look forward to returning to public service and working alongside the men and women of the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Department of Justice who have dedicated their professional lives to serving the citizens of Washington," he wrote.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat and Washington's senior senator, said in a written statement that Moran has strong legal experience.

"I had a productive meeting with Mr. Moran, and I am looking forward to learning more about his philosophy and his record as he goes through the Senate Judiciary Committee's rigorous and robust vetting process," Murray said.

Moran had wide-ranging duties at the attorney general's office. As the top legal adviser to McKenna, he helped develop the office's legal strategy and policy, including matters related to consumer protection, public records, data breach and unfair competition, according to his biography on his law firm's website.

He worked with lawmakers on topics related to consumer protection, public records, public safety and criminal law.

However, he raised eyebrows when a New York Times investigation into lobbying by former state attorneys general revealed that soon after leaving public office in 2013, McKenna and Moran were pressing their former co-workers on behalf of major corporate clients, including Microsoft and T-Mobile.

Current Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, insisted that McKenna and Moran obtained no special treatment for their clients.

But he acknowledged the potential appearance of impropriety and proposed a new one-year "cooling-off" period on state-government lobbying by former top state officials. The measure has not been adopted by the Legislature.

As the attorney general's chief criminal prosecutor, Moran and his staff helped elected prosecutors in Washington's 39 county with the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes, conflict cases and sexually violent predators.

Before that, he was a deputy prosecutor in Kitsap County, where he handled homicides and other violent crimes. He has prosecuted three death-penalty cases.