WASHINGTON— Today the President appointed Craig S. Morford to be acting Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice upon the departure of Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty, who is scheduled to leave the Department later this summer. Mr. Morford currently serves as the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.
“This is not the first time that the Department has called upon Craig for his proven leadership skills and experience. He previously served as U.S. Attorney in the Middle District of Tennessee and the Eastern District of Michigan,” said Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. “With 20 years of experience as a Justice Department prosecutor, I am pleased to have a person of Mr. Morford’s exemplary character and integrity in this critical position at this time.”
Prior to his Sept. 29, 2006 appointment as interim U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, Mr. Morford served as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Ohio since November 2003. From August 2004 to March 2005, he served as the interim U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan under an Attorney General appointment, and he also served as a Special Counsel to the Attorney General in that district from 2004 to 2005.
Before becoming First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Mr. Morford served in 2003 as Criminal Chief in the Northern District of Ohio and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the district’s Organized Crime Unit from 1990 to 2003. Mr. Morford also served as a Special Attorney for the Department of Justice in the Cleveland Organized Crime Strike Force from 1987 to 1990, and as a trial attorney with the Office of the Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service from 1984 to 1987.
Mr. Morford has twice received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service. He received his J.D. from the Valparaiso University School of Law, and his B.A. from Hope College.
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