President-elect Donald Trump is looking to fill hundreds of top positions in his incoming administration during the next two months — but one of the most coveted, flash point slots is that of attorney general.
The former president is considering at least three individuals to be the nation’s top cop, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, Missouri Republican, has been seen traveling the campaign trail with Mr. Trump and has the experience of serving as a state attorney general for four years.
From campaign rallies to a golf course, the two men have been seen photographed together.
Before being elected to the Senate, Mr. Schmitt was state attorney general from 2019 to 2023. He led the major lawsuit against the Biden administration for pressuring social media companies to censor posts related to COVID-19 and comments about the 2020 election.
That lawsuit became known as Murthy v. Missouri, which made its way to the high court earlier this year. The justices did not settle whether there was a First Amendment violation, and instead ruled the red states that had brought the challenge lacked standing, or sufficient legal injury, to bring the case.
Mr. Schmitt is not the only state attorney general under consideration to lead the Justice Department.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is also being considered by Mr. Trump.
He’s served as the attorney general of Texas for nine years and has become a conservative leader challenging LGBTQ policies and abortion in the courts.
Mr. Paxton also has led a coalition of states in court opposing the Biden administration’s immigration policies. Mr. Trump is promising to implement a sweeping get-tough approach to illegal immigration, including tighter security along the southern border and mass deportations.
He has long supported Mr. Trump, speaking at his Jan. 6, 2021, “Stop the Steal” rally in protest of the 2020 election, and filed a lawsuit of Texas v. Pennsylvania, which challenged the election results. That lawsuit was rejected by the Supreme Court.
Mark Paoletta, an attorney who worked as chief counsel to Vice President Mike Pence and later as general counsel for the Office of Management and Budget, is also a name that has been pushed by one of Mr. Trump’s legal advisers.
Mr. Paoletta previously represented Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, during the scrutiny over the Jan. 6 riot by members of Congress. Ms. Thomas attended Mr. Trump’s Stop the Steal rally but did not go to the U.S. Capitol where a riot broke out.
Mr. Paoletta is known to be a close confidant of Justice Thomas.
In a social media post, Mr. Paoletta said that Mr. Trump “will not use the DOJ for political purposes” but rather for “implementing his agenda.” He was pushing back on a CNN report that the Justice Department historically has been “independent.”
“The President has a duty to supervise the types of cases DOJ should focus on and can intervene to direct DOJ on specific cases,” Mr. Paoletta wrote. “He is the duly elected chief executive and he has every right to make sure the executive branch, including the DOJ, is implementing his agenda.”
He said, “For example, the President could direct DOJ to significantly increase resources to prosecute criminals at the highest charging level and to seek maximum sentences, devote maximum resources to deporting illegal aliens, act against sanctuary cities who defy and obstruct federal law enforcement efforts, and seek restoration of death penalty in all possible cases for horrific crimes, including for drug trafficking and child molestation and rape.”
He also echoed Mr. Trump’s assertions that the Biden Justice Department brought two criminal cases against Mr. Trump in a failed attempt to derail his presidential candidacy.
“Democrats went after President Trump solely to punish him because he was a political opponent,” Mr. Paoletta wrote. “They invented crimes, twisted statutes, abused their offices and power, all to stop him and destroy him. Thanks to President Trump’s fortitude and perseverance, they failed.”
Those three potential candidates are reportedly not the only names under consideration for the nation’s top law enforcement post.
Sen. Mike Lee, Utah Republican; Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who succeeded Mr. Schmitt, are also under consideration, according to The Wall Street Journal.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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