Gilbert takes special position in Page County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office

Former U.S. Attorney to handle ‘variety of criminal matters’ in all Page courts

~ PVN staff report

LURAY, Sept. 4 — Two weeks after suddenly resigning from his post as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Todd Gilbert has found a place to continue his long legal career right here in Page County.

On Wednesday, acting Page County Commonwealth Attorney Armanda Clymer announced that the former Speaker of the House of Delegates was hired as a Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Page County, according to a Sept. 3 report by Rocktown Now.

“We are extremely gratified to have an attorney of Mr. Gilbert’s caliber and experience joining our mission of making Page County a safer place to live, work, visit, and raise a family. Todd is obviously no stranger to the people of Page County and will start to make a positive impact right away,” states a press release issued by Clymer on Wednesday.

The moves comes about seven weeks after Gilbert was sworn into the federal office on July 14.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to do meaningful prosecution work in a county that I love and care deeply about. Page County has long been my second home, and I look forward to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure a community that is safe and prosperous,” Gilbert stated in the press release.

According to the Rocktown report, “Gilbert will reportedly handle a variety of criminal matters in all of the courts of Page County and will be stepping into an active role immediately.”

Gilbert stepped down from his role as the chief federal law enforcement officer in the Western District of the commonwealth after only five weeks, submitting his resignation on Aug. 20. In that role, the longtime attorney and delegate for the 33rd District (formally the 15th District) was responsible for prosecution in all civil and criminal legal matters brought forth by the Federal government in that region, leading an office of nearly 30 prosecutors and support staff. The Western District stretches from within 50 miles of the nation’s capital all the way to the southwestern edge of Virginia near Bristol, encompassing nearly two-thirds of the acreage in the commonwealth and including some 2.2 million citizens.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi officially appointed Gilbert to his role in the federal court system, and he received the backing of Republican President Donald Trump, as well as glowing endorsements from both Democratic U.S. Senators from Virginia, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. A statement issued by a spokesperson representing the Senators the day after Gilbert’s resignation showed their confusion over the decision.

“The senators were surprised to learn this news,” the statement reads. “After a thorough interview process that included the input of a bipartisan panel of former Virginia U.S. attorneys and other well-respected members of the Virginia legal community, the senators recommended two candidates. Todd Gilbert was among them because he was exceptionally qualified to execute the duties of this role.”

Robert N. Tracci, the First Assistant U.S. Attorney assumed the role of acting U.S. attorney after Gilbert’s resignation.

According to a report in late August by The Roanoke Times, which relied heavily on an unnamed source identified as “a person with knowledge of what happened,” Gilbert was given an ultimatum by the Administration — not clearly identified as either Bondi or Trump — to “resign or be fired” following a series of events in his first few weeks on the job.

The source, who asked not to be named, claims that Gilbert was pressured to replace former First Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Lee, an appointment of the former Biden Administration, according to The Roanoke Times report. When Gilbert resisted firing his second-in-command, Tracci was appointed to the No. 2 position by the Department of Justice and began work on Aug. 4. Tracci, a former Virginia assistant attorney general, was reportedly an earlier contender for Gilbert’s position.

Gilbert then named Lee to a new position as senior counsel and executive assistant U.S. attorney, with basically the same authority of his previous position. In a July 14 interview when he was sworn into the new office, Gilbert had told the media that he did not intend on making any immediate changes. Gilbert did not respond to media requests and made no public statements after his Aug. 20 resignation. At this point, he has still offered no public comments on his seemimgly sudden decision.

“I am honored to be nominated by the President to serve in this important role, and I look forward to the Senate confirmation process,” Gilbert stated when he was nominated on July 1. “Serving the citizens of the Shenandoah Valley has been the honor of a lifetime, and I look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve them by helping keep our communities safe.”

After starting his legal career in the Northern Shenandoah Valley, the Shenandoah County native served nearly 20 years in the General Assembly starting in 2006, and became Virginia’s 57th Speaker of the House in 2022. He became House Majority Leader in 2018, and most recently served as Minority Leader.

With nearly 15 years of legal experience as a prosecutor, Gilbert represented the commonwealth’s interests in four different commonwealth’s attorneys offices within the federal court’s Western District of Virginia — specifically in Lynchburg, Shenandoah County, Warren County and Frederick County.

Gilbert, a graduate of the University of Virginia and Southern Methodist University School of Law, often focused on public safety while serving in the General Assembly in Richmond and was recognized as “Legislator of the Year” by three different statewide law enforcement associations.

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