Ex-Virginia House Speaker Gilbert resigns as U.S. attorney after 1 month

Todd Gilbert, the former Republican speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, resigned Wednesday after a little more than a month as the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia.

A spokesperson for the district confirmed Gilbert’s resignation effective 5 p.m. Wednesday. Robert N. Tracci, the federal district’s first assistant U.S. attorney, has assumed the role of acting U.S. attorney.

The Western District did not provide a reason for Gilbert’s departure, and Gilbert did not immediately return messages for comment Wednesday night. He simply posted an “Anchorman” meme on X, which said, “Boy, that escalated quickly.”

Virginia’s U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats, were involved in recommending Gilbert for the Western District top prosecutor position in April.

Kaine and Warner’s spokespeople released this statement Thursday on Gilbert’s resignation: “The senators were surprised to learn this news. 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.”

Gilbert stepped down as House minority leader in June because he was in the running for the Western District attorney job, and he resigned as delegate for his Shenandoah County district once he received President Donald Trump‘s nod for the Department of Justice post. He was sworn in July 14 and was awaiting U.S. Senate confirmation at the time of his resignation.

Gilbert, who served nearly 20 years as a state delegate, was a prosecutor in Lynchburg and the counties of Warren, Frederick and Shenandoah earlier in his career, and had a private law practice while serving in the House. He was speaker of the House from 2022 to 2024 while Republicans regained control of the chamber.