Longtime Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito is stepping down to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana.
Twito notified Yellowstone County commissioners in recent weeks that he could be tapped for the federal role, and he confirmed his resignation to Montana Free Press Friday. His resignation is effective Oct. 25, and he will start work as the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Montana the next day. Twito made his last day a Sunday because the county attorney often fields calls over the weekend, he said.
“I love the job,” Twito told MTFP. “I love serving the community. I hope I’ve conveyed that over the years.”
Interim U.S. District Attorneys can serve for 120 days but must ultimately be nominated for permanent service by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Twito has been with the county attorney’s office for 29 years and has served as county attorney for 15. In his Thursday resignation letter, Twito called the appointment a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” and said he’d prepared the county attorney’s office in case of his departure.
“My office is full of capable, dedicated public servants ready to continue serving the people of Yellowstone County,” he wrote. “While the timing of this is difficult, I know that the office is in good hands when I depart.”
Twito’s name went out on all Yellowstone County ballots for the Nov. 3 election. Because of that, whoever the Board of County Commissioners appoints to fill the role will stay on through the election and run to retain the seat in the 2028 general election, rather than serving out the full four-year term. That’s according to the process laid out in state law.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed Twito’s nomination to the interim position. The office won’t issue a press release until his swearing-in.
Twito made recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners regarding potential successors but declined to identify any candidates.
“As county attorney I tried to serve with humility, aware that each day of my job I answered to the residents of this community,” Twito wrote in his resignation. “They were my supervisors. I am proud of my service and forever grateful to those who helped me along the way.”
Commissioners Mark Morse, Mike Waters and Chris White did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
Twito said he enjoyed the work of a prosecutor and looked forward to continuing public service in that role.
“I know there’s a lot of skilled people over there [at the U.S. Attorney’s Office] and I hope they extend a lot of grace to me as I sit and learn,” Twito said.
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