Pam Bondi is out as AG — here are the contenders who could replace her

By Fox News · Fox News

President Donald Trump announced a Department of Justice shakeup on Thursday, ousting Attorney General Pam Bondi and looking to name her permanent successor. Trump tapped Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to fill the role in an acting capacity, but other names, like Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin's, have swirled since the announcement of Bondi's departure, which was first reported by Fox News Digital on Thursday. Blanche, Trump's former personal defense lawyer, could serve as acting attorney general for up to 210 days. Trump is staring down the possibility of Senate Republicans shrinking or losing their majority in the midterms, which could complicate the president's ability to secure a nominee's confirmation if he waits too long to replace an acting official. KARL ROVE: TRUMP DROPPED BONDI, BUT THE REAL POLITICAL FIGHT IS JUST BEGINNING Contenders for attorney general, one of the most prestigious and influential, yet least secure jobs in Washington, would also need to win over tough but critical votes from current senators. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., a member of the committee tasked with vetting attorneys general, ruled out anyone who defended the 2021 U.S. Capitol breach in a CNN interview Thursday. "The threshold for somebody following Pam Bondi ends the moment I hear they said one thing that excused the events of January the 6th," Tillis said. Bondi faced a series of public missteps during her time as AG. They involved her failure to tamp down bipartisan criticism about the DOJ’s handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking cases and her inability to find enough evidence to bring reliable criminal charges against politicians viewed as Trump's political foes aside from former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who was indicted for mishandling classified documents. Asked for comment about possible contenders to succeed Bondi, a White House spokesperson pointed to Trump’s Truth Social post from Thursday announcing…