Now that Donald Trump has fired Pam Bondi, the search for a new attorney general has begun - and the president could be in for a fight over his pick.
Trump will need to act quickly, given that the midterm elections are around the corner and Democrats look increasingly likely to flip the Senate. That will give them a majority and the ability to stop Trump's most extreme nominees.
Until then, Trump’s biggest challenge to nominate a new top cop for the Department of Justice might not come from Senate Democrats, but rather from Sen. Thom Tillis, the retiring Republican from North Carolina, who has been on a tear against many members of the Trump administration before he leaves at the end of the year.
As Inside Washington wrote in a profile of Tillis last month, he’s tried to thread the needle of not directly criticizing the president, while also criticizing the actions of his closest advisers. As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is split 12-10, he has a unique ability to veto a potential attorney general in committee.
Last week on CNN, Tillis laid out his red line.
“The threshold for somebody following Pam Bondi ends the moment I hear they said one thing that excused the events of January 6,” he told host Kaitlan Collins. “I’ve been very clear on that. So, I hope whoever they have in mind to follow General Bondi is very clear-eyed on my position on January 6th.”
And Tillis has shown he’s willing to wield his considerable leverage. Just ask former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
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