The U.S. Senate on Friday unanimously confirmed Gary M. Restaino, President Joe Biden’s nominee for U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona.
Restaino has served as a federal prosecutor in the state since 2003 and previously worked for a Phoenix legal aid service, representing migrant and seasonal farmworkers. He also worked as a trial attorney for the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, according to a release from the White House.
While working as a federal prosecutor, Restaino was the Chief of the Criminal Division from 2012 to 2016 and Chief of the White Collar Crime Section from 2008 to 2009.
Restaino also worked in the state Attorney General’s office. He was a civil rights lawyer at the in the office from 1999 to 2003
The confirmation received praise from both Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ).
“Gary Restaino brings decades of experience as a federal prosecutor in Arizona, and his unanimous confirmation reflects the Senate’s trust in his qualifications, expertise, and commitment to the rule of law and to keeping Arizonans safe and secure,” the two said in a joint statement.
Throughout the confirmation process, Restaino’s nomination has remained relatively noncontroversial, unlike multiple other Biden nominees for various positions.
For example, last week, Biden’s nominee for comptroller of the currency faced harsh feedback at a Senate committee hearing because of previous comments.
Recent revelations showed that Saule Omarova admitted that oil, natural gas and coal firms need to go bankrupt to prevent climate change. The comments were made just this year, during a March talk Omarova gave as part of the Jain Family Institute’s “Social Wealth Seminar” series.
It remains unclear if Omarova will be confirmed.
Biden also had to pull the nomination of David Chipman to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Gary Restaino” by Community Legal Services of Arizona. Background Photo “Phoenix Federal Courthouse” by Sandra Day O’Connor.
