The Attorney General continued his tradition of traveling across the country to attend welcoming ceremonies for newly appointed U.S. Attorneys when he visited Grand Rapids, Mich., on Friday.
Patrick Miles, Jr., was appointed by President Barack Obama in March and approved by the Senate earlier this summer. The 44-year-old was officially sworn in to the position in July, in a sort of better-late-than-never moment. It took so long for the Obama administration to fill the job that the president is already engaged in his re-election battle. Depending on the outcome of the presidential election, Miles’s tenure could be short lived.
Pat Miles
Well, let’s not spoil the moment. The ceremony itself was held at a venue with deep connections to the U.S. Attorney for Michigan’s Western district - at Miles’ alma mater, Ottawa Hills High School, the Grand Rapids Press reported. “It gives me a humble heart to have this honor of serving as your U.S. Attorney,” Miles said at the ceremony.
“It’s a historic day… the first African American U.S. Attorney to serve the Western District,” Holder said, according to a report in the Grand Rapids Press. “It’s a special occasion for all of us. One thing it’s not — it is not a surprise.”
Holder, a favorite political pinata for Republicans, noted the warm reception from the Michigan crowd. “This doesn’t feel like Washington, D.C., at all,” he said.
Miles is a graduate of Harvard Law School and most recently worked as a partner at Dickinson Wright PLLC. He lost a close race for Congress against Rep. Justin Amash (R) in 2010.
Early in his tenure as Attorney General, Holder set the tone by taking the unusual step of visiting numerous investiture ceremonies for U.S. Attorneys. Observers said it showed Holder’s interest in boosting morale within the department, which he has long served going back to a stint as a Public Integrity Section prosecutor some 30 years ago.
