Vanessa Waldref reflects on her years as Eastern Washington’s U.S. attorney before departing amid incoming Trump administration

When Eastern District of Washington U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref walks into a room full of law enforcement, it’s likely she’s the only woman there. But she said that doesn’t bother her.

“When I say I’m going to do something, I do it,” she said in an interview last week. “That’s really how you build that trust and stronger partnerships. So I’m not only the only woman in the room, I’m now the person who comes and delivers.”

Waldref was nominated for the position in July 2021 by President Joe Biden. She was sworn in for the job in October 2021. She remembers it vividly – she was racing to file a brief at 3 p.m. An hour later, she was sworn in as Eastern Washington’s next U.S. Attorney. She knew that her tenure would eventually come to an end following the election of a new president, now Donald Trump. It’s why, she said, she hasn’t let her foot off the gas, even while overseeing federal cases from 20 counties in the state.

“I wanted to make the most of every moment that I had in it,” Waldref said. “So I really have been going at a sprint for the last three and a half years, trying to be very strategic with that time and choosing projects that I fewlt were the most important for my office and for the community.”

From 2013-20, she served as Eastern Washington’s assistant U.S. attorney and specialized in areas of environmental case law. Before that, Waldref graduated from Gonzaga Prep, earned her bachelor’s and law degrees from Georgetown University, became a litigation associate in Spokane and clerked for federal Judge John Bates in Washington, D.C.

During the last four years, Waldref said she’s made it her mission to prioritize the impact of opioids in local communities because “justice is for everyone” and crime “affects everyone.”

She launched “Operation Engage Spokane,” a task force meant to engage more with the community on the issue of addiction, treatment and education. Her office eventually prosecuted large-scale drug trafficking organizations like the “Fetty Bros,” a group of men sentenced for using social media to obtain, deliver and distribute packs of 10,000 deadly fentanyl pills throughout Spokane and the U.S.

Waldref testified before the U.S. Senate in December 2023 about the fentanyl epidemic, its impact on local tribal members and how it relates to missing or murdered Indigenous people.

“Combining our law enforcement efforts to seize and prosecute large drug trafficking organizations with local efforts for ensuring that there’s access to prevention, education, treatment and recovery resources – it’s an all-hands-on-deck approach,” Waldref said in an interview. “We were really able to highlight potential grant and funding resources for entities to be able to support their investigative efforts, as well as prevention and recovery efforts.”

Among other efforts, Waldref established an environmental task force, a team dedicated to civil rights, opened an office in Richland, prosecuted multiple COVID-19 fraud cases and even hired the first assistant U.S. attorney, Bree Black Horse, to handle cases involving missing or murdered Indigenous people.

Waldref said her most memorable moment was when she swore in Black Horse. She looks back at it fondly, because she sees it as an accomplishment to better serve and connect with tribal communities.

“Through doing that, we’re showing up and demonstrating that we’re not going to stand for violent crime to continue. We need victims to have trust in the Department of Justice that we will hold offenders accountable,” she said. “… Our tribal communities have responded so well to being seen and recognizing that this is the generational trauma they have suffered for so long. It won’t change overnight, but it will change through very intentional efforts.”

She also looks back fondly at watching people who have hit the lowest point in their lives reach a resolution and find hope. Waldref recalled a time where a woman sentenced to prison received drug treatment and graduated from a re-entry program. The woman now has a stable job and is getting married.

“That’s the full view of being able to see what we often see – people at their worst when they’ve committed crimes, where there needs to be accountability,” she said.

Waldref said last week she expects she will be asked for her resignation this week, which is typical of new administrations. She already had a farewell party with her staff, local law enforcement and her family, in what she referred to as “a space where everyone belonged.”

Waldref is ready to spend more time with her two kids, who know Eastern Washington like the back of their hands from traveling to nearly every county with her as part of her work-related duties.

“They’ve been troopers these last three-plus years … They know the government-rate hotels,” Waldref joked. She also joked that her kids are slightly nervous she will have more time to attend all of their parent-teacher conferences now.

Her next plan is to-be-determined. Waldref, whose sister is County Commissioner Amber Waldref, plans to stay in Spokane due to her deep love of Eastern Washington, she said, but is eyeing possible private sector jobs or public service jobs where she can continue to share what she’s learned to better serve her city, she said.

“It’s really hard to leave my Department of Justice family … I’ve worked with these people for over a decade. They’ve been my professional family, but also my dear friends,” Waldref said. “It doesn’t feel real yet, but I leave with great appreciation for our office, our law enforcement teams and great pride in the work that we’ve been able to accomplish.”