Spirit of Jefferson Photo
CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — A dream has been realized for Jefferson County Prosecutor Matt Harvey, as he was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the next U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia.
Harvey’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary. From growing up in southern West Virginia, to attending Bluefield State for undergraduate studies and then the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Va., he’s most recently cemented himself as a fair, balanced and hard-nosed prosecutor in Jefferson County, entering his third term in January.
But even he was at a loss for words, albeit one in particular — “fortunate."
“It’s huge. I grew up in a town of 500 that doesn’t have a stoplight or fast food chain restaurant, [went] to a small undergraduate then to a small law school,” Harvey said. “I was so honored to represent Jefferson County when I was elected, and, now, to serve the northern half of the state and citizens of West Virginia … there’s a mandate from our president to make our communities safer and prosecute crime and I’m all in on that. I share his vision on that. To be called upon to execute that, it’s really hard to explain. I never thought I’d be in this position. I’m so thankful for it.
“I told my wife, I was elected, received a Governor’s appointment and now the President’s appointment, I can’t stop thinking about how fortunate and blessed I’ve been to have those tremendous opportunities.”
The announcement was officially made by the White House on Tuesday, though Harvey found out he would be named as the nominee last Thursday when a representative within the White House called and informed him of Trump’s decision.
“I had a few days to process it before seeing it on the website, and it didn’t diminish the feeling of the nomination when I saw it on the site — I was overwhelmed when I got the call and again overwhelmed when I saw it again,” he said. “It’s very surreal; it’s a mix of emotions and they’re all positive. Relief that the process is over with, that I was chosen, I’ve reflected on my time in Jefferson County which could be coming to an end. I’ve reflected on it personally and professionally and it’s just been an amazing experience all around.”
Harvey, who ran all three campaigns as a Republican, was joined by Moore Capito, the son of Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and 2024 Republican gubernatorial candidate, who was nominated to head the Southern District office.
Up next, Harvey will go through a Senate confirmation process, all of which should be handled without him having to appear before the body’s judicial committee in Washington D.C. If confirmed, he’ll serve a four-year term. It’s common that nominees for these offices don’t appear before the committee, even though reports have been published noting that Democrats are pushing committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to call a hearing for Trump’s nominee for U.S. Attorney for Washington D.C., Ed Martin.
Should he be confirmed, Harvey is excited to get to work. To him, he’s ready to support and do his part in fulfilling Trump’s mandate, which Harvey said in a statement was “making communities safer by vigorous enforcement of criminal laws and backing our officers.” He added that one of his first goals, along those lines, is to develop relationships with law enforcement officers within the district and build a strong network to “bring them all together.”
And, when asked to dive further into how he’ll support Trump’s mandate, Harvey noted it comes down to, at first, simply continuing and building upon the work the office has already accomplished.
“It’s not a foreign concept to me, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, because I’ve partnered with them and worked with them. I know many of them. They’re outstanding professionals in that office,” he said. “They’ve been successful and want to continue to be successful, so I’m going to rely on them heavily to tell me what to do to continue that success and get to the next level and accomplish the mandates and policies that are handed down to us from Washington D.C. I’m fully expecting a 100% buy-in … they want to do their job and I’m going to help them do their job at the highest level possible.”
As support continues to roll in, including Gov. Patrick Morrisey as well as Capito’s and Sen. Jim Justice’s staffs, Harvey is hopeful the Senate confirmation will go through without issue. Still, he was quite candid that he’s been reflecting heavily on his time in Jefferson County and how it may be ending soon.
First elected to lead the prosecutor’s office in 2016, Harvey has led many initiatives and has been tough on crime, while also supporting the softer, kinder mandates of the criminal justice system — particularly victim’s advocacy, non-violent drug courts and juvenile interventions. He is also the chairman of the West Virginia First Foundation — the nonprofit group that is expected to distribute $1 billion in opioid settlement funds throughout West Virginia — and was pivotal in getting House Bill 2871 passed in the state legislature, a five-year saga, which created new penalties for vehicular homicide after a string of deaths in the county.
Yet, when asked about what he envisions his next role will be, he once again found himself at a loss for words.
“There will be things that I’ve learned in Jefferson County that will translate into the next role,” he said. “I may not be aware of them right now, but … I came in 8 1/2 years ago, assumed leadership of the office and had an idea of where the office needed to be and was able to accomplish those goals. Having done this once before, assuming leadership of [the Jefferson County] Prosecutor’s Office, it will absolutely be beneficial and instructive for my next position if the Senate confirms me.
“I've been starting to reflect on my time because it could be coming to an end and I don’t know what to think of it. I think I’ve tried to make the best decisions and always do the right thing, and I’m proud of the people I brought in and the processes we put in place. The behind-the-scenes stuff that doesn’t get a lot of coverage. For example, the victim’s advocate program. The Prosecutor’s Office had a great victim’s advocate program when I got here, and because it was in such good shape it’s at another level now. I’ve always been thinking of this day — the day I’d leave — and what the next day would look like and try to build the office for the next person to have all the momentum in the world. I’ve really emphasized that.”
Still, the next steps might be a little shaky. Traditionally, the Senate Judiciary Committee has brought U.S. Attorney nominations to the floor which are then voted on by a voice vote or unanimous consent. However, in late May, Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the panel’s ranking member, announced a hold on the nomination for the Southern District of Florida, Jason Reding Quinones, which leaves questions for upcoming confirmations.
Durbin cited J.D. Vance’s hold on nominations when he was a Senator during former President Joe Biden’s term, ushering in a “new precedent” for roll call votes on the Senate Floor, according to a release by the committee. No date has been set for the committee nomination reviews, according to senate.gov.