John Walsh (Hill & Robbins, P.C.)

The Republican former U.S. Attorney in Colorado is pushing Denver lawyer John Walsh for the state’s top federal prosecuting job, The Denver Post reports.

Troy Eid, who served as U.S. Attorney during the Bush administration, wrote Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) that Walsh is “ethical and a person of unimpeachable character and integrity.”

Walsh, a white-collar criminal and civil attorney with the Hill & Robbins law firm, has re-emerged as a candidate for U.S. Attorney after President Barack Obama’s original nominee, Stephanie Villafuerte, withdrew on Monday, citing “political attacks” by Republicans.

Walsh and Villafuerte were recommended to the White House earlier this year by Udall and then-Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), who is now Interior secretary. Their other recommendation was Bill Thiebaut, a district attorney for Pueblo, Colo.

Stephanie Villafuerte (handout via Denver Post)

In his letter to the senator, Eid said: “I know from my own experience that United States Attorneys are entrusted with tremendous power over life and property,” adding, “Colorado’s chief law enforcement leader must act in an ethical and nonpartisan way that’s beyond reproach. Our civil rights and community safety are at stake.”

Walsh also had worked previously for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

Former state Sen. Norma Anderson (R) also reached out to Udall on Walsh’s behalf. Anderson told The Post she has known Walsh for a number of years and believes he is “unbiased (and) open- minded and works well with both parties.” She added, “We’re not going to get a Republican appointed, so why not take the best of the Democrats?”

In a Wednesday email to The Post, Walsh wrote, “I was deeply honored to be on the list sent by Sen. Udall and then-Sen. Salazar to the President in January to be considered for nomination as U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado,” adding,  “I am deeply honored to be considered now.”

Bill Thiebaut (gov)

Thiebaut, also in a Wednesday email to The Post, wrote that “everyone has a reason to support or to not support their favorite candidate.” He added, “I am sure that the President will make the right decision in selecting a new nominee after vetting potential candidates.”

Udall spokeswoman Tara Trujillo told The Post she does not expect that anyone other than Walsh and Thiebaut will be recommended to Obama.

Villafuerte, a longtime aide to Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D), was nominated Sept. 30. She withdrew from consideration following a controversy about whether she accessed a law enforcement database in connection with Ritter’s 2006 gubernatorial campaign. Villafuerte has denied the allegations.

Stephanie Villafuerte (handout via Denver Post)

Following the withdrawal Monday of the nominee for U.S. Attorney in Colorado, Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) will be resubmitting names of two former finalists for the job, The Colorado Springs Independent reports. Additional people also might be recommended, according to the newspaper.

On Monday, Stephanie Villafuerte, a longtime aide to Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D), withdrew from consideration. Villafuerte sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, Villafuerte expressed “deep regret” about dropping out. Her decision follows a controversy about whether she accessed a law enforcement database in connection with Ritter’s 2006 gubernatorial campaign. Villafuerte has denied the allegations, which were raised by Republicans.

Udall and then-Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) had submitted three names for consideration: Villafuerte; Bill Thiebaut, a district attorney for Pueblo, Colo., who previously served as the Colorado Senate majority leader; and John Walsh, a white-collar criminal and civil attorney from Hill & Robbins in Denver who previously worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

Stephanie Villafuerte has withdrawn from consideration as U.S. Attorney for Colorado amid a barrage of questions from Republicans about her integrity.

In a letter today to Attorney General Eric Holder, Villafuerte, a longtime aide to Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D), expressed “deep regret” about dropping out. “At every stage of the process and consistent with Department of Justice protocols for U.S. Attorney nominees, I have honestly and thoroughly answered all questions posed to me,” she wrote. The Denver Post first reported the story Monday on its Web site.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) last week called Stephanie Villafuerte's record "incomplete." (Getty Images)

Read Villafuerte’s letter here.

Her withdrawal came just days after Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, urged panel Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to delay a vote on the Villafuerte nomination. Sessions said in a letter to Leahy that Villafuerte’s record before the panel was “incomplete.” 

Republicans have alleged that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Cory Voorhis was treated more harshly than the U.S. Attorney nominee in a controversy surrounding the use of a restricted federal database.

Voorhis lost his job for allegedly using a restricted government database to assist the 2006 campaign of Republican Bob Bob Beauprez, who ran an ad about an undocumented immigrant whose information was in the law enforcement database. Voorhis was later acquitted of charges stemming from the alleged misuse of the database.

Republicans have questioned whether Villafuerte asked people in the Denver District Attorney’s office to access the same database for political purposes, which could be a crime. Villafuerte’s boss, Ritter, was Beauprez’s opponent in 2006 as is a former Denver DA. Ritter has defended Villafuerte in the matter.

“Unfortunately, a needless and extraneous political fight has emerged in Colorado and that fight, in my judgment, has completely overshadowed the deliberative and independent assessment of my qualifications for this important office,” Villafuerte wrote in a letter to President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, obtained by the Denver newspaper. “I continue to stand by my statements and maintain that my involvement was appropriate at all times.”

Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) said Villafuerte made the right decision. Udall spoke with Sessions over the weekend about the Republican’s concerns.

“Despite these assurances from Senator Sessions and despite Stephanie’s willingness to answer questions by the Judiciary Committee, it’s clear to me that a further delay in the confirmation is not good for Colorado or the office of U.S. Attorney,” Udall said in a statement. “Stephanie has made a decision in the best interests of the office she hoped to serve, and I respect her for it.”

Pueblo District Attorney Bill Thiebaut Jr. and Denver attorney John Walsh III are still on a list of possible candidates for Colorado U.S. Attorney, according to The Post.