Former Florida GOP Representative and President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for nominee for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, announced Thursday he is withdrawing as Trump’s pick for the nation’s top prosecutor.
Now, who is under consideration for the top spot? Here are some possible names floated to head the Department of Justice (DOJ) next.
GOP Senator Mike Lee of Utah
Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah is being considered for consideration. Lee is a high-ranking Republican in the chamber and would face a somewhat simple path to confirmation by the Senate, at least compared to some of the more controversial names that have previously surfaced.
Lee previously expressed that he would not be aiming for the role, telling the Deseret News in an interview, “I have the job I want.”
Additionally, Lee told the outlet at the time he was looking “forward to working in the next congress and with President Trump and his team to implement his agenda and the reform agenda the Republicans have offered and campaigned on, and it’s going to be an exciting time. We’ve got a log of work to do.”
Attorney General of Missouri Andrew Bailey
Attorney General of Missouri Andrew Bailey was tapped in 2022 by Missouri Governor Mike Parson to be the top prosecutor in the state after then-state AG Eric Schmitt was elected to the United States Senate.
An Army veteran, Bailey received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Missouri. He then worked in the state attorney general’s office and additionally served as a state government lawyer and assistant county prosecutor prior to joining the office of Governor Mike Parson.
Since becoming attorney general, Bailey has launched numerous lawsuits against the Biden-Harris administration and sought to defend the state on several conservative ideas.
Pam Bondi
Pam Bondi, former Attorney General of Florida, is also being considered for the DOJ head position. Bondi is said to be interested in the position.
A native of Florida, Bondi earned her law degree from Stetson Law School and worked as a prosecutor for over 18 years.
Bondi serves as chair of the Center for Litigation and co-chair of the Center for Law and Justice at America First Policy Institute.
Mark Paoletta
Mark Paoletta, former White House attorney, served during Donald Trump’s first term as counsel to then-Vice President Mike Pence and the Office of Management and Budget.
Paoletta currently works on Trump’s transition team, including helping to steer Justice Department policy in the next Trump administration, making him a possible natural fit for the role.
Previously, Paoletta made it clear that if chosen to head up the Justice Department, he wouldn’t tolerate any resistance to the Trump agenda by other nonpolitical officials and career prosecutors.
However, Paoletta wrote in numerous X posts weeks ago that he hadn’t met with Trump at that time and hadn’t interviewed for the attorney general position.
Gaetz announced his decision to withdraw on X early on Thursday afternoon. In his post, he described his nomination as “a distraction.” Amid his nomination, allegations of him allegedly paying underage women for sex had surfaced.
Trump took to social media shortly after the news of Gaetz’s withdrawal broke and wrote on Truth Social, “I greatly appreciate Matt Gaetz’s recent efforts in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”
The House Ethics Committee investigated Gaetz for a month until he resigned last Wednesday from the current congressional session.
