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Byrd Notified U.S. Attorney About Nomination Month Before Death

By Andrew Ramonas

The new U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia learned about his nomination from a person who would never see him take office.

William Ihlenfeld (DOJ)

U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld II told The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register in the article published Sunday that he received the news of his nomination via a surprise telephone call on May 27 from Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), who died a month later.

“I was at work and received a phone call asking me to hold for Sen. Robert C. Byrd,” said Ihlenfeld, who was sworn in this month. “He got on the line and told me I was going to be nominated. It was really special because I had some great pictures in my office of [Byrd] and my grandfather, whom he knew very well.”

Ihlenfeld, 38, is one of the youngest U.S. Attorneys appointed by President Barack Obama. Attorney General Eric Holder urged the U.S. Attorney to use his youth to rejuvenate his post.

“Here is a guy who was a young former U.S. Attorney who has gone all the way to the top,” Ihlenfeld told the newspaper. “It was really encouraging and motivating to hear that.”

The U.S. Attorney said he will work to improve communication between federal and local law enforcement. He said he will also focus on combating financial, drug and work-safety crimes.

Read more about him here.

Full post as published by Main Justice on August 30, 2010 (boomark / email).