Street talk is rife, but Ed Yarbrough told NashvillePost.com this morning he cannot confirm that he is soon to be nominated as U.S. Attorney for Middle Tennessee.

Yarbrough, a prominent criminal-defense attorney with Hollins, Wagster, Yarbrough, Weatherly & Raybin, acknowledged that speculation is growing that he will be nominated by President Bush.

Growing presumption of Yarbrough's impending nomination may have been spurred most recently by local inquiries by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, as part of a routine check of Yarbrough's background. NashvillePost.com first reported in October 2006 that he was a leading contender for the job.

If nominated by President Bush, Yarbrough would then face U.S. Senate confirmation hearings. If confirmed, he would then be sworn in by the President.

The U.S. Attorney's office is in the Estes Kefauver Federal Building downtown, with branches in Columbia and Cookeville. The staff includes 31 assistant U.S. Attorneys.

The Middle Tennessee post has been occupied since October by interim U.S. Attorney Craig Morford, who in October succeeded Jim Vines. Vines left in September after a tenure marked by controversy over his running of the office.