President Trump nominated Bob Brewer, 73, a veteran civil litigator who specializes in white-collar and corporate defense, to be U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, which covers San Diego and Imperial Counties.
Brewer currently works at Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek. His career includes stints as a Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles and a federal prosecutor in the Central District of California, where he handled espionage, bank robbery, murder-for-hire and other criminal cases.
In 1982, Brewer moved to private practice and has worked at McKenna Long & Aldridge and Jones Day in San Diego. Before launching his legal career, Brewer was an Army Ranger who served in Vietnam.
In 2014, Brewer ran an unsuccessful campaign for District Attorney against incumbent Bonnie Dumanis.
Brewer is married to Irma Gonzales, a retired federal judge in San Diego.
If his nomination is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Brewer will replace Adam Braverman, who was installed as interim U.S. Attorney in San Diego eight months ago. Many in the legal community who follow Justice Department politics had assumed Braverman would be nominated and confirmed for the job, which makes Brewer's nomination something of a surprise.
In a statement issued early today to NBC 7, Braverman said, "It has been a dream fulfilled to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California for the past e8 months. There can be no greater honor or privilege than to work with the kind of women and men who dedicate themselves to public service here. Their work ethic, integrity and principles are unmatched and I consider myself incredibly lucky to call them colleagues and friends. I have been inspired, too, by the dedication of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, who work tirelessly to pursue justice and keep our community safe. I look forward to working with the new U.S. Attorney to ensure a smooth transition and to continue the mission of seeking justice and truth with humility and kindness."
