Who Will Trump Pick Next for Attorney General After Gaetz Resigns?

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 attorney general.

Who is now considering the top spot? Here are potential names to lead the Ministry of Justice next.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey was tapped by Missouri Governor Mike Parson to be the state’s top prosecutor in 2022 after then-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 went on to work in the state attorney general’s office and also served as an assistant county prosecutor and state attorney before joining the office of Governor Mike Parsons.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is seen during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing in Washington, DC, 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-Attorney General Eric Schmitt was elected to the U.S. Senate.

Since becoming attorney general, Bailey has brought dozens of lawsuits against the Biden administration and tried to defend the state on a number of conservative issues.

Late. Mike Lee, R-Utah

Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah is also a name floated for consideration. Lee is currently a senior 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 in the past.

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Lee had previously expressed that he would not aim for the role, telling the Deseret News in an interview, “I have the job I want.”

Lee also shared at the time that he was “looking forward to working on the next congress and with President Trump and his team to implement his agenda and the reform agenda that the Republicans have offered and campaigned on, it’s going to be an exciting time. We have a lot of work to do.”

Late. 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 to X early Thursday afternoon. In his post, he described his nomination as “a distraction.” Allegations that he allegedly paid underage women for sex had emerged in the midst of his nomination.

Trump took to social media shortly after the news that Gaetz would withdraw his name from consideration, writing on Truth Social: “I really appreciate Matt Gaetz’s recent efforts to seek approval to become Attorney General. He did it very well, but, at the same time, he wouldn’t be a distraction to the administration, which Matt has a lot of respect for, and I’m looking forward to seeing all the great things he’s going to do!”

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Gaetz had been under a month-long investigation by the House Ethics Committee until he resigned last Wednesday from the current session of Congress.

Fox News Digital reached out to Trump transition team for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.