Nick Brown, the U.S. attorney for Western Washington, announced his resignation Tuesday ahead of an expected bid for state attorney general.
Brown, a former legal counsel to Gov. Jay Inslee, was nominated for his federal job by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in September 2021, making him the first Black U.S. attorney to serve in Washington state.
In his announcement Tuesday, Brown said he had submitted a letter of resignation to the president, but did not specify his future political plans, saying only that he hoped “to return to public service in the future.”
Democratic political insiders have said he’s been planning a run for attorney general in 2024 — an opportunity opened up as incumbent Bob Ferguson is running to succeed Inslee as governor.
State Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, has already announced her campaign for attorney general and has reported raising about $125,000. Dhingra chairs the state Senate’s Law and Justice Committee and is a longtime senior deputy prosecuting attorney for King County.
In an interview, Brown said he is barred from talking about politics while he remains U.S. attorney. His last day in the position is Wednesday.
After leaving his federal position, Brown said he plans to return on a part-time basis as a partner at Pacifica Law Group, the prominent Seattle law firm where he worked previously.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as U.S. Attorney for Western Washington, and humbled to have been selected by President Biden to serve in this important role. Building safe and healthy communities is one of the most important challenges we face as a state,” Brown said in his announcement.
In the interview, Brown said he was proud of the work he’d done office on civil rights, including chairing a national subcommittee of U.S. attorneys.
He said he had stood up a new unit dealing with cybercrimes and pointed to prosecutions of major COVID-19 aid fraud, including the recent indictment of six people who allegedly bilked the government out of more than $3.3 million through phony applications.
Brown also touted his office’s work trying to combat the fentanyl crisis by targeting drug cartels. He said he’d also worked to increase transparency about the work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office by meeting with community organizations for input.
“I feel really proud of culturally where this office is at,” he said.
Brown, 46, served as general counsel for Inslee from 2013 to mid-2017, advising the governor on legal issues, including a decision to impose a moratorium on the death penalty. He previously worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Seattle from 2007 to 2013, handling more than 100 criminal cases.
An Army veteran, he served in the Judge Advocate General Corps from 2003 to 2007 at Joint Base Lewis McChord; Fort Bliss, Texas; and in Baghdad; according to his Justice Department biography.
