Todd Gee appointment approved by Senate

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

Gee will assume office of U.S. State Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, expected to take up federal welfare misspending case

A long standing appointment to the office of United State Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi was confirmed today. 

According to a release from the United Senate Committee on the Judiciary, the appointment of Todd Gee and another U.S. Attorney were set for discussion on Wednesday, but hit a road block when Ohio Senator J.D. Vance added a stipulation, that roll call votes are held on the Senate floor.

Friday just after noon, the Senate held a roll call that ended with Gee’s, and one other appointment for a U.S. Attorney in California, being approved. Both appointees will serve four year terms. The vote was 82 for and 8 against for Gee’s nomination. Nine members of the Senate did not vote.

Gee is a Vicksburg native and was appointed by President Joe Biden back in September of last year. His previous experience includes 

serving as Deputy Chief of the Public Integrity Section of the United States since 2018, Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington D.C. from 2007 to 2015, Chief Counsel from 2006 to 2007 and the Senior Policy Advisor for the Committee on Homeland Security in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2005 to 2006. Gee was also a law clerk for U.S. Magistrate Judge Janice M. Stewart in Oregon from 2003 to 2005. Gee holds a law degree from Tulane Law School and a bachelor’s from George Washington University. 

Notably, the Delta native’s grandfather, Nathaniel Bullard, was the Mayor of Vicksburg from 1973 until 1977.

Gee replaces former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi Mike Hurst, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump back in 2017. Hurst served in that position until 2021 when he stepped down.

In his new role, Gee will take up the federal case involving a case involving the misspending of $77 million in welfare that was part of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Previous coverage states five defendants in this case have pleaded guilty.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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