Matt Gaetz, a former Florida congressman and President-elect Donald Trump's attorney general nominee, announced Thursday that he is withdrawing from being considered for Trump's top prosecutor.
Who's currently in the running for the top spot? Here's a list of who could be next to become head of the Department of Justice.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey was appointed by Missouri Governor Mike Parson to be the state's top prosecutor after then-Attorney General Eric Schmidt is elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022.
Gates declines attorney general candidacy
Bailey is a military veteran and earned his bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Missouri. He then worked in the state Attorney General's Office, where he also served as an assistant county prosecutor and state attorney before joining Gov. Mike Parson's office.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey attends a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Graham Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Who is on President Trump's list of nominees for attorney general?
Parson selected Bailey to be the state's top prosecutor in 2022 after then-Attorney General Eric Schmidt was elected to the Senate.
Since becoming attorney general, Bailey has filed dozens of lawsuits against the Biden administration and sought to defend the state on a number of conservative issues.
Sen. Mike Lee, Republican, Utah
Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah is also being considered. Mr. Lee is currently the highest-ranking Republican in the House, which should make his path to Senate confirmation somewhat easier, at least compared to some of the more controversial names that have surfaced.
House Ethics Committee says no agreement reached on release of Matt Gaetz report
Lee previously said in an interview with the Deseret News that he had no intention of pursuing the role, saying, “I have a job that I want.”
Lee also told the media at the time that he was “looking forward to it.” serve in the next Congress And it will be an exciting time as President Trump and his team implement his policies and the reforms that Republicans have proposed and campaigned on. we have a lot of work to do. ”
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) speaks during a press conference at the Capitol on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
Gates announced his decision regarding X early Thursday afternoon. In his post, he called his nomination a “distraction.” During his nomination, allegations surfaced that he had allegedly paid an underage woman for sex.
Immediately after news broke that Gates was withdrawing his name from consideration, Trump tweeted on social media, “I am very grateful for Matt Gaetz's recent efforts to seek confirmation to become attorney general. He has done a very good job. But at the same time, he didn't want to get in the way of the administration, and he has a lot of respect for Matt and thinks he has a great future, and I look forward to watching him do great things. ”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Gaetz had been under months of investigation by the House Ethics Committee before resigning from the current Congress last Wednesday.
Fox News Digital has reached out. Trump transition team For comments.
Fox News Digital's Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
