Thread by @dsamuelsohn

Ex-colleagues of US Attorney Matt Graves described the Reading PA, native as unflappable & almost uniquely made for the moment w/ his experience in an uncomfortable area for DOJ in DC: the intersection of politics & prosecutions. by ⁦@cryanbarber⁩

businessinsider.com/steve-bannon-p…

“He's not a novice to these issues,” said Channing Phillips, Graves’ most immediate predecessor in the DC USA office. “To have someone who has firsthand knowledge of the law, on the sort of issues you have to grapple with, it's huge.”

In spite of attention surrounding his office, Graves has so far kept a low-profile in his first month. Another predecessor, Michael Sherwin, had publicly suggested a Trump prosecution was under consideration during a controversial interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" back in March.

Former colleagues said Graves' early approach is in keeping with his measured, mild-mannered style. But he could begin to step out in coming months as Bannon goes to trial next summer and criminal proceedings pick up against January 6 defendants.

"He won't seek the limelight but won't shy away from it either," said Ron Machen, a partner at the law firm Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale and Dorr who served as the US attorney in Washington under the Obama administration.

Graves is the face of the largest US attorney office in the country — a size owed, in part, to its unique role as a federal & local DC prosecutor. He could adopt a more public-facing posture as the city confronts a year w/ 200 recorded homicides, a level not seen since 2003.

Check out the rest of this profile for cameos by, in no particular order: Jesse Jackson Jr., Ben Carson, Nike, Roger Clemens, and Ryan Zimmerman.