Matt Gaetz’s decision to withdraw as Donald Trump’s pick for Attorney General Thursday reset the clock in a high-stakes race over who will control the Justice Department during the second Trump administration. And, much like the post of Treasury Secretary, the jockeying quickly began, with Florida attorney general Pam Bondi quickly getting the nod.
Gaetz took himself out of the process, saying his nomination “was unfairly becoming a distraction.” He faced a potentially rough confirmation process in the Senate over allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has denied. Gaetz had previously resigned from the House, so, at present, he will hold no post in the federal government. (Trump could, however, appoint him to a role that does not require Senate confirmation.)
With Gaetz gone, Bondi takes the spotlight. She served as Attorney General of Florida eight years ago, and is the first woman to hold that post. She was previously assistant state attorney for Hillsborough County, with a focus, said Trump, on curbing immigration and combating the opioid epidemic. She’s a Trump loyalist, who has served as a legal adviser and defense attorney for Trump during the Senate’s 2020 impeachment trial and was one of many claiming the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. Gaetz approved the choice, calling Bondi a “proven litigator, inspiring leader and a champion for all Americans.”
Bondi beat out several other potential nominees for the role:
Jeffrey Clark: Known best as the former assistant attorney general who pressured officials in the Justice Department to overturn Trump’s loss in 2020, Clark is currently under indictment in Georgia for his role in that election. Three months ago, a disciplinary committee in Washington, D.C., said Clark should be disbarred for two years for efforts to interfere with election results.
Mark Paoletta: Appointing Paoletta to the attorney general role would have drawn a dotted line from the Justice Department to the Supreme Court. Paoletta represented Ginni Thomas, wife of Justices Clarence Thomas, in the House investigation of the January 6 attack on the Capitol. He also helped prepare the nominations of Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh. He has a history with Trump as well, having served as general counsel for the Office of Management and Budget and has argued that Trump, as president, will have the right to dictate who gets investigated and charged.
Andrew Bailey: Bailey currently serves as Attorney General of Missouri, a role he has held since 2022. In that short time, he has overseen dozens of lawsuits against the Biden administration. He recently won reelection in Missouri, but has been criticized for having too national a focus, such as his suit against the state of New York to halt Trump’s sentencing until after the election. (The Supreme Court rejected that request.)
Judge Aileen Cannon: Appointed by Trump in 2020, Cannon came to the national spotlight when she dismissed all charges against him in the classified documents case in Florida. Trump has publicly thanked her for that ruling and spoken highly of her. She is currently overseeing the trial of Ryan Routh, who was accused of planning an assassination attempt against Donald Trump at a Florida golf course in September.
Mike Davis: A former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, Davis has joked about assuming the AG role on social media, writing he was “too charming to get confirmed.” He played a key role in getting many judicial nominees approved during Trump’s first presidency and has served as something of a bulldog for Trump, advising former Rep. Liz Cheney and special counsel Jack Smith to “lawyer up” over their roles in the January 6 investigation and vowing a “reign of terror” upon Trump’s reelection.
Stephen Miller: Miller served as a policy advisor in Trump’s first administration and has been one of the strongest advocates for mass deportations during the campaign. Trump has already named him as deputy chief of staff for policy, but with the AG role open once again, Trump had a chance to change his mind. Miller was a chief architect, along with new border czar Tom Homan, on the family separation policy at the border in the first administration—and as White House spokesman, regularly made unsubstantiated claims of election fraud. After departing the White House, he served as president of America First Legal, an organization of former Trump advisers.
Update, November 21, 2024: This story has been updated with Trump’s new nominee for Attorney General, Pam Bondi.