November 24, 2021

Wyden, Merkley Send Names of Three Finalists for U.S. Attorney for Oregon to White House

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today sent to the White House the names of three finalists to be the next U.S. Attorney for Oregon.

The three finalists were chosen after review by a selection committee assembled by Wyden and Merkley. Following interviews with seven applicants for the job and soliciting public input, each committee member ranked the candidates. The three highest-ranked candidates from the cumulative rankings for the U.S. Attorney for Oregon post, listed in alphabetical order, are as follows:

  • Craig Gabriel -- Assistant United States Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon
  • Vivek Kothari -- Associate at Markowitz Herbold and former Assistant United States Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia
  • Natalie Wight -- Assistant United States Attorney and Deputy Chief of the Organized and Violent Crime Section, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon

Wyden and Merkley thank both the committee for its service and the members of the public who offered input on the applicants.

“We’re gratified that the selection committee has identified these three very qualified candidates for the White House’s consideration to this important post,” Wyden and Merkley said. “We’re confident that Oregonians would be well-served by having any one of these three candidates as our state’s U.S. Attorney, and we stand ready to advance President Biden’s ultimate choice through the confirmation process.”

In their communication with the White House forwarding the three finalists, Wyden and Merkley noted they are neither endorsing or implying support for any particular nomination. 

The previous U.S. Attorney for Oregon was Billy Williams, who announced his departure from the post as the state’s chief federal law enforcement official in February 2021. Scott Erik Asphaug has been serving as Acting U.S. Attorney.