President Trump nominated former Michigan Speaker Tom Leonard (R-Dewitt) as U.S. Attorney on Wednesday in his announcement of appointments for various federal offices.
“It is an incredible honor to be considered by President Trump to be the United States Attorney for Michigan’s Western District,” said Leonard Thursday in a response to The Michigan Star.
“Since becoming a prosecutor in Genesee County, my heart has been to work with law enforcement to keep our citizens safe.”
Previous U.S. Attorney Pat Miles resigned when President Trump took office. The seat has been without a confirmed holder ever since, with Andrew Birge serving first as acting and then as interim U.S. Attorney, according to The Detroit News.
Speaker Leonard led Michigan’s official response to the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal when he pressured Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon and the Board of Trustees to resign, and forced the university to disclose thousands of related documents.
Leonard’s popularity soared among conservatives when, despite lacking the votes, he held course on rolling back an outdated income tax hike. The recorded vote caught the caucus’s more liberal legislators off guard and exposed them to later publicity as the “Dirty Dozen.”
Termed out in 2018, Leonard ran as the Republican candidate for Attorney General. He lost to Democrat Dana Nessel in Michigan’s closest statewide race of the general election.
“I am extremely excited that President Trump saw fit to give West Michigan a strong conservative in the office of US Attorney,” said Allegan County Clerk Robert Genetski.
“Very tough to find a more qualified candidate, a better man, or a stronger conservative to represent the president in that office,” said Genetski, who tied with Leonard one year for the most-conservative voting record when they served together in the Michigan House.
Leonard is the founder of MiStrategies, a policy development and strategic collaboration firm. Before serving in the Legislature, Leonard was an Assistant Attorney General in Genesee County, assigned to the Special Crimes Division in Flint. He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law.
Pending confirmation, Leonard joins 93 other U.S. Attorneys in the Department of Justice. Also known as chief federal prosecutors, their role is key to criminal investigation and law enforcement as representatives of the federal government in U.S. District Courts.
Michigan’s Western District of the U.S. District Court serves the entire Upper Peninsula and approximately half of the Lower Peninsula. Based in Grand Rapids, its other courthouses are located in Lansing, Kalamazoo, and Marquette. Cases from the district appeal to the 6th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Leonard frequently blends faith and family with professional life on social media. In about five weeks, he and his wife Jenell are expecting another child to join Hannah, who is almost three.
“I look forward to working with the White House and the Senate as we work through the confirmation process,” Leonard said today.
– – –
Abigail Nobel is a reporter for The Michigan Star.
Background Photo “Department of Justice Building” by Baseball Watcher. CC BY-SA 3.0.
