SALEM -- House Minority Leader Mike McLane confirmed Thursday he is in the running to become Oregon's top federal prosecutor.
In his first interview on the subject, McLane, 52, told The Oregonian/OregonLive he is among a handful of candidates being vetted by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Trump administration. McLane declined to name the other contenders.
McLane, a Powell Butte Republican, said he has support for an appointment from U.S. Rep. Greg Walden. As Oregon's only Republican congressman, Walden has influence over who is named the state's U.S. attorney. Walden also maintains a relationship with President Donald Trump; they've interfaced because of Walden's role shaping national health care policy.
In a January 25 recommendation letter to Trump obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive, Walden said McLane would be "a no-nonsense U.S. attorney" and is "a solid leader and able to work effectively with other attorneys and elected officials."
"His commitment to serve our country is clear," Walden wrote. "He will do a fine job and I strongly recommend Mr. McLane as your choice for the position of United States Attorney for the District of Oregon."
U.S. attorneys lead their state's wing of the federal Department of Justice, heading teams of attorneys and investigators that prosecute federal civil and criminal cases. Notable cases the U.S. attorney's office in Oregon has handled in recent years include the investigation of former Gov. John Kitzhaber, which never resulted in charges, and the first Malheur occupation trial, at which Ammon and Ryan Bundy and six co-defendants were acquitted.
McLane has served in the Oregon Legislature since 2011 and represents most of central Oregon. He earned a law degree at Lewis & Clark Law School, clerked for a justice of the Oregon Supreme Court and worked in business law at Portland firm Stoel Rives before assisting with prosecutions in Multnomah County Circuit Court and later, federal court.
He was a partner at the Bend office of sprawling Pacific Northwest law firm Miller Nash and went on to co-found Lynch Conger McLane. He serves as a lieutenant colonel and military lawyer in the Oregon Air National Guard.
McLane said he expects that whoever is selected as Oregon's next U.S. attorney will be notified by the end of June. He said he is unsure if a decision has already been made.
"If I'm asked to serve, I'll serve. But I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it because of this current job" in the legislature, McLane said.
He is enmeshed in the ongoing legislative session, leading a caucus of 25 House Republicans and working with top lawmakers to balance the state budget, among other priorities.
When asked why he is being considered for appointment as U.S. attorney, McLane said, with a chuckle, "Because I'm a lawyer and I'm a Republican."
Oregon's current U.S. attorney is Billy Williams, who was appointed in 2015 after Amanda Marshall resigned the post. Williams was not among the 46 U.S. attorneys Sessions asked to resign earlier this year, as he was not a presidential appointee.
-- Gordon R. Friedman
503-221-8209; @GordonRFriedman