Wight to serve as interim U.S. attorney, Asphaug to Nairobi

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Scott E. Asphaug said Wednesday he is stepping down as U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon effective July 17.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Wednesday he is leaving to become the Justice Department’s resident legal advisor in Nairobi, Kenya, until his retirement in two years.

Chief U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Oregon, Marco A. Hernandez, said Wednesday he will appoint Natalie K. Wight as interim U.S. attorney pending her confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

President Joe Biden nominated Wight last month to succeed Asphaug. Wight most recently served as deputy chief of the organized and violent crime section of the office, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. She’s a 1992 graduate of Portland’s Cleveland High School, has been working in the District of Oregon since 2012 and with the U.S. Department of Justice since 2003.

Asphaug, a 17-year member of the U.S. Department of Justice, will work with Kenyan counterparts on justice issues while assigned to the department’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training. Asphaug was named acting U.S. attorney in February 2021, and in late December, was appointed interim by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.