Matt Gaetz, a former representative from Florida and President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, announced Thursday that he is stepping down as Trump’s attorney general.
Who is being considered for the top job now? Here are the possible names to lead the Department of Justice next.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey was nominated by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson in 2022 to become the state’s top prosecutor after then-state Attorney General Eric Schmitt was elected to the US Senate.
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Bailey, an Army veteran, received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Missouri. He then worked in the state attorney general’s office and worked as an assistant district attorney and state attorney before joining the office of Gov. Mike Parson.
Andrew Bailey, Missouri attorney general, is seen during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Parson tapped Bailey to become the state’s attorney general in 2022 after state Attorney General Eric Schmitt was elected to the U.S. Senate.
Since becoming attorney general, Bailey has launched a number of lawsuits against the Biden administration and sought to defend the state on a number of impeachment issues.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah
Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah is also a name floating around for consideration. Lee is currently the highest-ranking Republican in the chamber and will face an easy path to Senate confirmation, at least compared to some of the more controversial names that have come before.
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Lee previously indicated that he would not pursue the role, telling the Deseret News in an interview, “I have the job I want.”
Lee also told the outlet at the time that he was “looking forward to serve in the next Congress and President Trump and his team to implement his agenda and the reform agenda that the Republicans have given and campaigned for, and it’s going to be an exciting time. We have a lot of work to do.”
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Gaetz announced his decision on X early Thursday afternoon. In his post, he described his appointment as a “distraction”. Allegations that he paid young women for sex came to light during his appointment.
Trump took to social media shortly after news broke that Gaetz would withdraw his name from consideration, writing on Truth Social, “I appreciate Matt Gaetz’s recent efforts to seek approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but,” at the same time, he didn’t want to be a distraction to the Administration. , which is very respectful Matt has a great future, and I look forward to seeing all the great things he will do!
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Gaetz was under a months-long investigation by the House Ethics Committee until he resigned last Wednesday from the current congressional committee.
Fox News Digital reached out to Trump’s transition team to comment.
Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
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