President Donald Trump announced a Department of Justice shakeup on Thursday, ousting Attorney General Pam Bondi and looking to name her permanent successor.
Trump tapped Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to fill the role in an acting capacity, but other names, like Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin's, have swirled since the announcement of Bondi's departure, which was first reported by Fox News Digital on Thursday.
Blanche, Trump's former personal defense lawyer, could serve as acting attorney general for up to 210 days. Trump is staring down the possibility of Senate Republicans shrinking or losing their majority in the midterms, which could complicate the president's ability to secure a nominee's confirmation if he waits too long to replace an acting official.
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Contenders for attorney general, one of the most prestigious and influential, yet least secure jobs in Washington, would also need to win over tough but critical votes from current senators.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., a member of the committee tasked with vetting attorneys general, ruled out anyone who defended the 2021 U.S. Capitol breach in a CNN interview Thursday.
"The threshold for somebody following Pam Bondi ends the moment I hear they said one thing that excused the events of January the 6th," Tillis said.
Bondi faced a series of public missteps during her time as attorney general. They involved her failure to tamp down bipartisan criticism about the DOJ's handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking cases and her inability to find enough evidence to bring reliable criminal charges against politicians viewed as Trump's political foes aside from former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who was indicted for mishandling classified documents.
Asked for comment about possible contenders to succeed Bondi, a White House spokesperson pointed to Trump's Truth Social post from Thursday announcing Bondi's exit and Blanche as her interim replacement.
Trump did not rush to tease a permanent replacement when he announced that Blanche would be filling in, leaving the incoming acting attorney general to effectively try out for the permanent role.
Blanche could persuade Trump to nominate him and the Senate to confirm him in the coming months, having both proven his loyalty to Trump while retaining traditional bona fides as a longtime lawyer in the Southern District of New York and in private practice. He left a prestigious New York law firm in 2023 to defend Trump against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and special counsel Jack Smith.
"Our Deputy Attorney General, and a very talented and respected Legal Mind, Todd Blanche, will step in to serve as Acting Attorney General," Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday.
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Blanche's direct involvement in those cases could present tricky conflicts of interest as the DOJ pursues investigations into the people involved with prosecuting Trump, and Democrats have made clear that Blanche is, in their view, a top culprit in the department's handling of the Epstein files.
Trump has spoken with Zeldin about potentially serving as attorney general, including this week, Fox News Digital reported Thursday.
One downside for the president, however, would be that Zeldin's transition to attorney general would require two major confirmation hearings, one for Zeldin and one for a new EPA administrator. One source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that Zeldin was interested in the job.
A vocal contingent online has urged Trump to promote Dhillon from the head of the DOJ Civil Rights Division to attorney general.
"That's up to the president," Dhillon told Fox News Digital when asked about the prospect. "I'm flattered to be mentioned by many online, but it's his choice and I serve at his pleasure only."
Several conservative influencers sang Dhillon's praises on X upon Bondi's firing. Scott Presler said she would be an "exceptional" attorney general. Mike Cernovich said Dhillon was "filing civil rights lawsuits on behalf of Trump supporters who were attacked by ANTIFA. In 2016. Who was around in 2016?"
Trump tapped Pirro, a close ally, to lead the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, D.C., the most high-profile of the 93 in the country.
A former Fox News host, judge and district attorney, Pirro has risen to the occasion, filling the jobs of ousted prosecutors and promoting her role in reducing violent crime in the nation's capital.
Still, Pirro's seen some hurdles, including failing to convince grand juries to indict six Democratic lawmakers and a man who stood accused of throwing a sandwich at an immigration officer. Pirro reduced the man's charge, but a jury acquitted him.
Trump told New York Magazine Pirro was "fantastic" when asked if she would replace Bondi. Fox News Digital reached out to Pirro's office for comment.
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Schmitt, the former attorney general of Missouri, was on Trump's first shortlist for attorney general and is now making the rounds as an option again.
As a state attorney general, Schmitt led high-profile litigation against the Biden administration, including a closely watched jawboning lawsuit challenging the federal government's involvement in social media censorship. The Supreme Court sidestepped weighing in on the case, but last month Missouri and Louisiana notched a victory by reaching a settlement with several government agencies.
Fox News Digital reached out to Schmitt's office for comment.
Several conservative influencers also floated Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, as an option, but Lee poured cold water on the idea on Friday, saying on X, "I'm not going anywhere."
Other long-shot options include Alina Habba, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Habba promoted her tight relationship with Trump online on Friday, but one source said Habba was happy in her current role as a DOJ senior advisor, while another said she was not having active conversations about the job but had not been ruled out as a possibility.
DeSantis' name made the rounds online, and the Florida governor, whose stardom rose during COVID-19 but faltered during his failed presidential run, remains constantly in touch with the White House. Fox News Digital reached out to his office.
Paxton is an unlikely choice, according to another source. The Texas attorney general, once impeached over bribery allegations but acquitted by the state Senate, has Republican enemies in the upper chamber who would be needed for votes come confirmation time.
Tom Fitton, president of the conservative Judicial Watch, told Fox News Digital the attorney general "need not be a lawyer."
"I would support most anyone if there were a serious commitment to massive reform, transparency, etc.," Fitton said. "The agency should be shrunk, transformed and defanged."
Justice Connection, a group comprising many former DOJ employees who resigned or were fired under Trump, warned against a nominee who would mimic Bondi's allegiance to Trump.
"Replacing [Bondi] with a more competent attorney general who - like her - believes their sole client is the president and not the country may just make things worse," Stacey Young, the group's executive director, said in a statement.
Katelyn Caralle contributed to this report.
