ATTORNEY GENERAL ALBERTO R. GONZALES NAMES
PAUL MCNULTY AND JOHNNY SUTTON TO LEAD ATTORNEY GENERAL’S ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF U.S. ATTORNEYS

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales today named Paul J. McNulty as Chairman of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys and Johnny Sutton as the committee’s Vice Chairman. McNulty currently serves as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and Sutton serves as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas. The outgoing Chairman, U.S. Attorney William Mercer, of the District of Montana, will continue to serve as an ex officio member of the committee.

“Paul McNulty and Johnny Sutton are experienced federal prosecutors who have served with distinction as United States Attorneys,” said Attorney General Gonzales. “The members of the Advisory Committee provide sound advice and represent the voice of all U.S. Attorneys in making Department policy. As Chairman and Vice Chairman of the committee, their strong leadership and wise counsel will be a valuable part of our efforts to prevent terrorism, prosecute corporate fraud, and protect the rights of all citizens under the law.”

Paul J. McNulty has served as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia since September 2001. After directing President Bush's transition team for the Department of Justice, he served as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General from January 2001 to September of that year. He was Chief Counsel and Director of Legislative Operations for the House Majority Leader from 1999 to 2001, and Chief Counsel to the House Subcommittee on Crime from 1995 to 1999. McNulty was Counsel with Shaw Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge from 1993 to 1995. He served as Director of the Justice Department’s Office of Policy and Communications and chief spokesman for the Department from 1991 to 1993, and as Deputy Director of the Office of Policy Development from 1990 to 1991. Prior to joining the Department, he was Minority Counsel to the House Subcommittee on Crime, from 1987 to 1990; Director of Government Affairs at the Legal Services Corporation, from 1985 to 1987; and Counsel for the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, from 1983 to 1985. McNulty earned his law degree from the Capital University School of Law and his undergraduate degree from Grove City College.

Johnny Sutton was appointed by President Bush to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas in December 2001, after having served by court appointment since November of that year. Prior to becoming a United States Attorney, Sutton served as Associate Deputy Attorney General throughout 2001 and as Criminal Justice Policy Director to the Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000. From 1987 to 1995, he was an Assistant District Attorney in Harris County, Texas. He earned both his law degree and his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas.

The Advisory Committee plays a vital role in furthering the Department's law enforcement efforts and gives U.S. Attorneys a key voice in Department policy. Together in partnership with state, local and federal authorities, the Advisory Committee is crucial in advancing the Department's efforts to battle terrorism and prosecute corporate fraud, as well as continue its law enforcement mission in areas such as civil rights, violent crime, and immigration.

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