Minnesota's U.S. attorney will help oversee AG's office in Washington, D.C.

Minnesota U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald will have more influence in steering justice priorities in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr appointed MacDonald and eight others to an advisory committee tasked with counseling his office on matters of policy, management and operations.

"I am honored to have been chosen to serve on this important Committee, which helps guide programs and policies for the Department of Justice," MacDonald said in a statement Monday. "The work of the [committee] is vital to furthering our priorities of reducing violent crime, confronting our drug epidemics, and protecting public safety for all Minnesotans and Americans."

MacDonald, a former prosecutor and judge, took office in June 2018, succeeding Andrew Luger and his interim successor, Gregory Brooker. She has promised to prioritize curbing gun crimes, violent extremism and crime on Native American reservations.

Others appointed to the attorney general's advisory committee are David Anderson, Northern District of California; Scott Brady, Western District of Pennsylvania; Maria Chapa Lopez, Middle District of Florida; Halsey Frank, District of Maine; Christina Nolan, District of Vermont; Zach Terwilliger, Eastern District of Virginia; Tom Kirsch, Northern District of Indiana; and Nicholas Trutanich, District of Nevada.