President Obama has nominated Jeffrey Prieto, a federal attorney since 1998, to be general counsel for the Agriculture Department, said the White House. The general counsel is USDA’s chief lawyer. Prieto has been acting general counsel since Nov. 1, 2014, five months after he arrived at the USDA as deputy general counsel. A graduate of the UCLA law school, Prieto worked at the Justice Department and the EPA before joining the USDA. The post requires Senate confirmation.