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    • Who will Trump choose as attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdraws?
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    Who will Trump choose as attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdraws?

    Vaseline Posted on

    Donald Trump is going back to the drawing board for an attorney general nomination after Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration. Here are some candidates.

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    WASHINGTON — The withdrawal of former Rep. Matt Gaetz as Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general has created an opening for one of the criminal defense attorneys he has tapped for top posts at the Justice Department — or other troublemakers the president-elect previously talked about thought.

    Trump could potentially elevate attorney Todd Blanche, whom he has already named deputy attorney general, to the department’s No. 2 job. Other candidates included Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, former intelligence official Kash Patel and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

    “It really comes down to whoever can show the most loyalty to Trump and be Matt Gaetz without the baggage,” said Jeff Breinholt, a former senior attorney and counterterrorism official at the Justice Department.

    Gaetz withdrew from treatment Thursday amid continued revelations of damaging testimony from federal and House Ethics Committee investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use. Gaetz denied the allegations.

    Here’s what we know about potential candidates for attorney general:

    Todd Blanche

    Blanche and Emil Bove, who was appointed deputy attorney general, defended Trump in his hush money trial in New York and federal investigations into his alleged election interference and mishandling of classified documents.

    Their delaying strategy held off on taking action on both federal cases until after the election. After Trump’s victory, Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith settled both cases under department policy, barring the prosecution of a sitting president.

    Despite Trump’s conviction on 34 counts of falsifying corporate records, Blanche aggressively represented him and called his former lawyer Michael Cohen a liar. Sentencing in the Manhattan sentencing has been delayed, with District Attorney Alvin Bragg pushing for a delay until after Trump leaves office, while Trump’s lawyers argue the charges should be dropped entirely.

    Blanche had previously served as a federal prosecutor in New York and as a law clerk to two federal judges.

    “Todd is an outstanding attorney who will be a critical leader at the Department of Justice, fixing what has been a broken justice system for far too long,” Trump said in announcing his choice for deputy attorney general.

    Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah

    Lee, who served 14 years in the Senate and is a member of the Judiciary Committee, was considered a top candidate for attorney general before Gaetz’s election and could potentially have an easier path to confirmation from his fellow senators .

    Lee was an outspoken advocate for Trump during his first term, exchanging emails with Trump’s White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, discussing how to challenge the 2020 election results.

    In texts obtained by CNN, Lee expressed “unequivocal support for you to exhaust all legal and constitutional remedies at your disposal,” although the senator ultimately voted to certify Joe Biden’s election victory.

    “He’s obviously one of those guys who has a lot of respect in the United States Senate,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.

    Kash Patel, former defense and intelligence official

    Patel served as a National Security Council official during Trump’s first term, a senior adviser to the director of National Intelligence and chief of staff to the secretary of defense. He is also being considered for FBI director.

    Patel has frequently posted on social media and made public appearances since leaving office in 2021 in support of Trump and his agenda, especially in opposing and destroying what both have called the “deep state” of the national security bureaucracy.

    “We need to rank all American patriots from top to bottom,” Patel told another Trump surrogate, Steve Bannon, in a recent post-election interview. Patel said he and Trump administration leaders will “go out and find the conspirators, not only in the government, but in the media” who are seen as disloyal to Trump.

    Patel has shown a willingness to do what Trump wants him to do, but he has misled many people in the department, as well as judges in counterterrorism cases, Breinholt said.

    “Kash was very unpopular with the judiciary during his time at the Justice Department, so we sent him to the Hill,” where Patel worked for Rep. Devin Nunes, R-California, on the House Intelligence Committee, Breinholt said.

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton

    Paxton has been an outspoken supporter of Trump, speaking at the former president’s rally at the White House on Jan. 6, 2021, and attending his election night party at Mar-a-Lago.

    Paxton, formerly a state lawmaker, has been Texas attorney general since 2015. He filed 27 lawsuits against the Obama administration over a two-year period, including six in the Supreme Court.

    Like Trump, Paxton has been the subject of criminal investigation and impeachment proceedings. He settled a long-standing indictment on securities fraud charges in March without entering a plea, but agreed to pay $271,000 and perform community service.

    More: Ken Paxton pushes the boundaries of consumer protection law to pursue political goals

    Paxton was previously impeached on 20 misconduct charges, but the Senate acquitted him in September 2023.

    “Ken had to suffer for a long time, but it turned out very well,” Trump said after the acquittal.

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