Posted on 11/12/2018 11:00:23 AM PST by Red Badger
Congressmen, confidantes and TV commentators are among those being considered by the White House.
WASHINGTON — Two members of congress, a cabinet official, a presidential confidant and a frequent guest on Fox News are among those being considered by President Donald Trump to be the next attorney general, multiple sources tell NBC News.
One of those, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, was a close adviser to the president in his 2016 presidential campaign. He has been largely sidelined by the administration since then but resurfaced at the White House on Thursday for what White House officials said was for a previously scheduled meeting on prison reform.
Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, and retiring Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, have also joined the list of those in the running, the sources say.
Ratcliffe, a former political appointee of President George W. Bush who was later appointed to be U.S. Attorney of the Eastern District of Texas, has become a top candidate.
He was elected to Congress in 2014 and has been named as the most conservative Texas legislator by the Heritage Foundation. He made a name for himself when he grilled former FBI agent Peter Strzok in a House Judiciary Committee hearing about text messages he sent ahead of the 2016 election.
Gowdy, who led the House investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's handling of the attack that led to the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, is retiring from Congress at the end of the year and was a prosecutor before coming to Congress. He and Trump have had a contentious relationship, especially since Gowdy voted “present” on a House bill to keep the House’s Russia investigation going when every other Republican voted “no.”
Neither Ratcliffe nor Gowdy’s office responded to requests for comment.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is close to Gowdy, has become an adviser to the president on the position. Frequently mentioned for the job himself, Graham has said repeatedly that he is not interested. But anticipating that Sessions would be fired or would resign, he has been working on a list of potential replacements to present to the president.
And Graham, who could be the next chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, could have a large say on if the nominee is successful in the Senate.
Graham said he discussed Sessions’ successor with the president at the White House on Thursday. “I’m confident the White House is looking for someone who the President and country can have confidence in, and be confirmed by the Senate,” Graham said in a statement.
Other names that have been discussed include Noel Francisco, the current solicitor general of the United States, who was appointed by Trump last year. Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary Alex Azar is also a contender, sources tell NBC News.
Azar's spokeswoman, Caitlin Oakley said the secretary is happy in his current job. "Secretary Azar has repeatedly said that this is the best job he has ever had and that this is his dream job. He plans to continue serving President Trump as his HHS Secretary."
Andrew McCarthy, a former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of new York and current columnist for the National Review, is also said to be under consideration. McCarthy is a common guest on Fox News, which Trump appreciates in an official.
McCarthy has also written that acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker could be amidst an “audition” for the permanent gig. Whitaker, Sessions former chief of staff, has spoken negatively about the Russia probe when he was an analyst on CNN.
But Whitaker’s appointment is unlikely, unless he is removed from the acting position. Under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, a person appointed to the position of Acting Attorney General who has not previously been confirmed by the Senate must step out of the acting position in order to be confirmed on a permanent basis.
Finally, losing Kansas gubernatorial candidate Kris Kobach has been mentioned as well. Kobach, a former Kansas secretary of state and member of Trump’s transition team who led a failed advisory board to investigate voter fraud, has also made a name for himself on hard right immigration policies. But most observers say it would be quite difficult for Kobach to ever be confirmed by the Senate because of his controversial positions on hot button issues.
Getting passed the Senate will be a key requirement for any nominee. At least three Republicans have already said that protecting the Mueller investigation is a critical concern.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said the Mueller probe “must be allowed” to continue. Senator-elect Mitt Romney tweeted “it is imperative” the probe continues, and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said it will “undoubtedly be an important issue during the confirmation.”
Kobach as a secretary of state should have known all the now defunct election commission had to do was buy the state registered voter rolls. Instead they tried to get them for free when everyone else buys them. We lost two years and probably the House because of that. We should have seen lots of prosecutions by now. Kobach was on that commission.
It’s painfully obvious that a single AG in a department full of radical leftists is not going to cut it.
ICYMI, ‘our’ federal govt. is irreparably corrupt and illegitimate. The only way to remedy this is for Trump to appoint a very large special counsel or convene military tribunals.
Necks need to snap to get people’s attention. The left are making their move to seize power permanently and there’s not a lot of time left...
the internet??!! that’s still around?
Of course we have heard from those who have no understanding of how the government works get ridiculous about Gowdy. He would be a fine choice given his background as an on the ground successful prosecutor.
I would prefer the Congressman from Texas, if we can retain his seat in the House.
Having no ammunition for a great prosecutor is equal to our military having to fight a war under the Petraeus rules of engagement.
Trey Gowdy is a true patriot and will be an awesome AG. I so look forward to seeing it and not hearing the shills. oh, he does love the law, too. He will be a blessing!
Mark Levin
None of those are requirements...
“Ratcliffe, Gowdy join list of potential attorney general picks”
I just looked her up and read her bio. I’m all in. Thanks!
She is a former US Attorney. A top Federal appellant lawyer known for going after the DOJ/FBI abuse of power and insider DOJ Main climate. Hated by Bush DOJ, Clinton DOJ, Obama DOJ and Hillary cronies.
Six foot tall and bullet proof. (And I suspect able to leap tall buildings.)
Joe diGenova for AG! - I second johnthebaptistmoore (Post #9)!!!!
Gowdy? Really? Might as well put Issa’s name in the hat.
Gowdy sucks. Can’t imagine a worse pick.
NBC “multiple sources” = totally fake news ...
Kobach didn’t shut down the commission. He made recommendations. The failure to obtain voter rolls from CA and others was not the reason the commission was shut down.
Well, Whitaker has hit the ground running, and seems he’d make a good, permanent, AG.
Perhaps all this ‘talk’ is just a smokescreen................
I got one. Mark Levin. THERE!
Whoever it is needs to fire every single Obama appointee and their staff on day one, and have them all escorted out of the buildings with nothing but the clothes on their backs after all passwords have been removed from all electronic devices. You know, what Jeff Sessions failed to do?
Gowdy is a rino of the worst kind,,,,talks and sounds good then stabs you in the back when he can align with the media narrative
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