Minnesota's U.S. attorney old hand at job

ST. PAUL, Minn., Aug. 8 (UPI) -- One-time U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones in Minnesota will return to his old job after the U.S. Senate confirmed him for another term.

Jones, who was a U.S. attorney for Minnesota during the Clinton administration, was expected to be sworn in and take office next week, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Saturday.

Jones served as U.S. attorney from 1998 to 2001, and has been in private practice since.

"It's exciting. It really is exciting," Jones said. "It is a great job, and there are great people there and you really do get a chance to do rubber-meets-the-road public service every day."

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., nominated Jones. She worked in the Hennepin County prosecutor's office when Jones was the state's U.S. attorney.

Jones succeeds acting U.S. Attorney Frank Magill, who assumed leadership after Rachel Paulose resigned in November 2007, following two tumultuous years in office. An investigation later found she retaliated against the then-No. 2 person in the office after he filed a complaint against her handling of classified materials.

Jones said he looked forward to helping rebuild the credibility of the U.S. Department of Justice, which was bruised by scandal and accusations of political motives in the firings of U.S. attorneys during President George W. Bush's administration.