Veteran Prosecutor Biden's Choice To Lead Justice Department In Northern Georgia District

ATLANTA — A new lawman has been tapped to lead the Justice Department's operations the Atlanta area.

President Joe Biden named Ryan K. Buchanan to be his nominee as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.

If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Buchanan would replace acting District head Kurt Erskine and succeed former U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak, who was pressured to resign in January, according to the Wall Street Journal, when he refused to comply with ex-President Donald Trump’s wishes to open a federal investigation into Fulton County’s November 2020 election results favoring Biden.

Buchanan is among the latest salvo of eight U.S. Attorney nominees named late last week, bringing the number of nominees 37 that Biden has pegged since taking office.

“These individuals, many of whom would make history if confirmed, were chosen for their devotion to enforcing the law, their professionalism, their experience and credentials in their fields, their dedication to pursuing equal justice for all, and their commitment to the independence of the Department of Justice,” a White House statement said.

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Buchanan has been an Assistant U.S. attorney with the Northern District since 2013 and before that served three years with the Northern District of Alabama and as an associate for McGuireWoods in Charlotte and Atlanta from 2006 to 2010. He has been the Northern District of Georgia’s Deputy Chief of the Violent Crime and National Security Section for the past five years and also has been the National Security and Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council Coordinator since 2017.

The Vanderbilt University Law School graduate and Samford University alum was a law clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Inge P. Johnson of Alabama's Northern District.

Sen. Jon Ossoff, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee which vets and confirms the president’s nominees, said he and fellow Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock recommended Buchanan to the White House, according to a joint statement from Ossoff's office.

“I am pleased that President Biden has accepted my and Sen. Rev. Warnock’s recommendation for this key federal law enforcement position,” Ossoff said in a statement. “I expect and am confident that Mr. Buchanan will perform his duties with impartiality and professionalism, guided by commitments to truth, integrity, and justice. I look forward to meeting with him again ahead of the confirmation process and seeing him before the Senate Judiciary Committee soon.”

Warnock said he was a “stellar” candidate.

“Mr. Buchanan has dealt with everything from organized crime to foreign terrorist organizations over the course of his accomplished career, and few people in our state can match the scope of his legal expertise in securing justice and keeping Americans safe,” Warnock said.