Washington • Utah has a new man in charge of federal prosecutions.
The Senate confirmed David Barlow to be the U.S. Attorney for Utah late Friday, filling a spot that has been vacant since December 2009.
Barlow has served as the chief counsel for Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, since January and was championed by Lee and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, both of whom serve on the Judiciary Committee.
But his appointment by President Barack Obama was not without controversy. Utah Democrats remain frustrated that Obama rejected the suggestions of Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and instead went with a Republican in the high-profile appointment.
Utah Democratic official Todd Taylor criticized Barlow’s background and hinted at political deal-making between Utah’s senators and the White House.
Hatch and Lee have denied that they struck any deal with the Obama administration and defend Barlow as a "brilliant" attorney. Apparently the Senate agreed, as no one objected to Barlow’s nomination and Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy even complimented him in a hearing last week.
Barlow has no experience in criminal cases, but he has spent 10 years working on class-action suits at Sidley and Austin’s Chicago office. Obama and his wife, Michelle, had previously worked in that same office.
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