Utah’s newest member of Congress has already assembled a team to hit the ground running midway through a chaotic House session.
Rep. Celeste Maloy announced on Wednesday — her first full day in office after being sworn in Tuesday evening — that she had brought on her former co-worker and Idaho trial attorney Bryan Wheat to oversee the 2nd District congresswoman’s policymaking team in Washington, D.C.
Wheat, who has no prior political work experience, according to his LinkedIn profile, will serve as Maloy’s chief of staff, the highest-ranking legislative staffer in a representative’s office.
“He has the right combination of energy and love for the 2nd District,” Maloy told the Deseret News in a written statement. “When Bryan and I worked together in the Washington County Attorney’s Office, I saw him connect with people in a way that makes me confident he’ll be as focused on serving constituents as I am.”
Maloy and Wheat worked as deputy county attorneys in the Washington County Attorney’s Office at the same time — Wheat as a prosecuting attorney who helped lead the county’s drug task force and Maloy as a public lands attorney.
After four years in St. George, Wheat returned to his home state of Idaho, where he attended undergraduate and law school, to practice federal criminal defense and prosecution.
“I am beyond excited that Utah’s Second District has chosen Celeste to be their Congresswoman,” Wheat said in a statement issued by the Maloy office Wednesday. “Celeste will be an incredible Congresswoman, and I am greatly honored to help her as she represents Utahns in Washington D.C.”
Maloy told the Deseret News on Monday that her personal goal for her abbreviated term was to first build a top-notch congressional staff, and then to spend as much time listening to constituents as possible and use her committee positions to empower local governments to provide better services and quality of life for 2nd District residents.
Prior to running for U.S. House, Maloy served as the chief legal counsel to the 2nd District’s previous representative, former congressman Chris Stewart. When he decided to resign, Stewart encouraged Maloy, who had helped him craft policy for over four years, to run for his position.
Maloy will fill the remainder of Stewart’s term before facing reelection next year.