Associate Attorney General Tony West, the third in command at the U.S. Justice Department, is preparing to announce he will leave government for a job in the private sector, two sources familiar with the decision tell NPR.
West served as the point man for the Obama administration's efforts to recover taxpayer money in a series of settlements related to residential mortgage-backed securities. He extracted billions of dollars from chief executives at JP Morgan, Citigroup and Bank of America, but sent few if any individuals to prison for their role in the 2008 economic meltdown.
West also traveled repeatedly to Indian Country to promote efforts to protect children, reduce violence against women and encourage more prosecutions of criminal activity on reservations.
His departure after five years is not entirely a surprise. Many other top political appointees at the Justice Department and across the government are likely to be heading for the exits as the midterm elections approach and the administration prepares for its final stretch in office.
Before West's promotion, he had led the Justice Department's civil division since April 2009. West has a long history in justice at federal and state levels, rivaled only by his connections to Democratic politics.
He has worked on every Democratic presidential campaign since 1988 — except in 1996 and 2012 when he was a Justice Department employee. He was co-chair of President Obama's 2008 California Finance Committee.
West's wife, Maya Harris, is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and his sister in law is California Attorney General Kamala Harris.
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