Matt Gaetz, the former Florida representative and President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, announced Thursday that he is withdrawing as Trump’s pick for the top prosecutor.
Who is in consideration now for the top spot? Here are potential names floated to head the Department of Justice next.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey was tapped by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson in 2022 to be the state’s top prosecutor after then-state Attorney General Eric Schmitt was elected to the U.S. Senate.
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Bailey, an Army veteran, received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Missouri. He then proceeded to work in the state attorney general’s office and also served as an assistant county prosecutor and a state government lawyer before joining the office of Gov. Mike Parson.
Andrew Bailey, Missouri’s 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 in 2022 to be the state’s top prosecutor after then-state Attorney General Eric Schmitt was elected to the U.S. Senate.
Since becoming attorney general, Bailey has launched dozens of lawsuits against the Biden administration and sought to defend the state on a number of conservative issues.
Republican Sen. Mike Lee from Utah is also a name being floated for consideration. Lee is currently a high-ranking Republican in the chamber and would face a somewhat easy path to Senate confirmation, at least compared to some of the more controversial names that have surfaced previously.
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Lee had previously expressed that he would not be aiming for 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 working in the next Congress and with President Trump and his team to implement his agenda and the reform agenda that Republicans have offered and campaigned on, and it’s going to be an exciting time. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah., speaks during a news conference in 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 nomination as “a distraction.” Allegations of him purportedly paying underage women for sex had surfaced amid his nomination.
Trump took to social media shortly after the news broke that Gaetz would be withdrawing his name from consideration, writing on Truth Social, “I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”
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Gaetz had been under a monthslong investigation by the House Ethics Committee until his resignation last Wednesday from the current congressional session.
Fox News Digital reached out to Lee’s and Bailey’s offices and the Trump transition team for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
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