NASHVILLE (AP) — The acting U.S. attorney in Nashville says he will leave the U.S. Department of Justice in early September.

In a news release Friday, Acting U.S. Attorney Jack Smith said he had been offered an "incredible opportunity" and decided to leave the department after much consideration. The release did not say what opportunity he is pursuing.

Smith has held his position since former U.S. Attorney David Rivera resigned in March.

Smith has been a Department of Justice prosecutor for 16 years. He served as head of the Public Integrity Section in Washington for five years. He came to Nashville in 2015 to serve as first assistant U.S. attorney.

President Donald Trump has nominated Belmont University law professor Donald Cochran for the Nashville-based U.S. attorney job. He hasn't received Senate confirmation yet.