United States Attorney Addresses Faculty and Students at Johnson High


U.S. Attorney Ed Tarver
U.S. Attorney Ed Tarver

On Wednesday April 14, 2010, United States Attorney General Edward Traver spoke to Johnson High students about the legal profession, his job, and his life experience.

Traver told students that the most important aspect of his job is to help protect the American people.

“My client is the United States of America,” he said. “We want to be sure that justice is provided to all Americans.Our number one priority for US Attorney’s offices across the country is terrorism,” he remarked. “We have two ports of entry in Georgia—Savannah and Brunswick—and many people around the world have access to these ports.”

Traver said that some people get angry about the tax system while others get angry about having the first African-American president. He indicated that these behaviors could lead to domestic terrorism.

He said that domestic terrorism is just as much of a threat against Americans as foreign terrorism.

“Many times it is not done by a group but by angry individuals,” he commented. Traver also said that people can have their own beliefs and express their opinions, but any type of threat or violent action crosses a line and will subject a person to prosecution.

A native of Augusta, Georgia, Traver said that another one of his jobs is to protect the American people from tax fraud and that too many taxpayers are loosing millions of their dollars through bogus tax returns filed.

When a student asked him about his opinion on health care reform, Traver remained neutral. “It is not appropriate for me to share my views. My appointment is a non-political appointment,” he said.

The former Army Officer told students that to get into his profession he had to go through an extensive background check before he was appointed to his current position.

“The FBI was going to investigate my history back to the age of 18,” he said. “They talked to my teachers and former neighbors.” The Augusta State University alumnus added, “They checked things like whether or not I used drugs and whether or not I got drunk.”

Traver implied the need to make good choices in life because future employers will look into a student’s past to determine whether or not he or she obtains a job.

The former Georgia State Senator was appointed to the office of US Attorney by President Barack Obama. on November 12, 2009.

He works directly under the United States Attorney General Eric Holder. He is the first African-American to serve in this capacity.

He is married and has two children.

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