The fight to replace fired Attorney General Pam Bondi is exposing deep fractures within Trump's coalition, with competing factions of Trump loyalists bringing to the surface "long simmering disputes" as they battle for control of the Justice Department — a department already hemorrhaging credibility and veteran prosecutors.
With former Trump attorney Todd Blanche temporarily filling Bondi's role as acting attorney general, powerful lawyers who forged allegiances in years of Trump litigation are now maneuvering behind the scenes to position themselves or their allies for the top job.
Blanche, viewed as a frontrunner, struck a deferential tone at his first press conference as acting AG. "I would be honored to win Trump's nomination for the job. He also said that if Trump picked someone else he would say, 'Thank you very much. I love you, sir.' I don't have any goals or aspirations beyond that," Blanche said.
But the battle for attorney general is really a war over which faction will dominate Trump's second term. The DOJ is the most scrutinized Cabinet department, and control over it will determine which Trump loyalists wield real power, reports Politico.
Harmeet Dhillon is at the center of the emerging power struggle. The media-savvy Republican lawyer has led the DOJ's Civil Rights Division in Trump's second term. Her law firm has represented Trump himself during the Jan. 6 select committee investigation and against lawsuits from lawmakers and police officers over his role in the Capitol attack.
Dhillon's most powerful ally is David Warrington, Trump's White House counsel, who formerly worked at her firm. Warrington has emerged as a key figure for Dhillon as she positions herself to succeed Bondi.
But Dhillon has fierce opponents. Former DOJ official Jared Wise — a Jan. 6 defendant whom Trump pardoned — argues that a Dhillon nomination would relegate Jan. 6 defendants' grievances with the federal government to an afterthought.
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. and former Fox News host, represents a different faction. Pirro has aggressively pursued Trump's political adversaries, though with limited success. Grand juries turned down her effort to criminally charge six congressional Democrats who filmed a video urging the military to ignore unlawful orders. A judge also rejected her bid to issue grand jury subpoenas to the Federal Reserve, calling the effort transparently political and meant to punish Trump's longtime adversary, Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Pirro deflected speculation about the AG job Wednesday, saying she's happy in her current role.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is also in the mix. Trump discussed with Zeldin during a recent meeting about California wildfires the potential of him stepping into Bondi's role. "He's our secret weapon," Trump said of Zeldin at a February coal industry celebration.
The Jan. 6 defendant faction is pushing Ed Martin, Trump's pardon attorney. Martin previously failed to gain Senate support for Pirro's current position, partly due to his unapologetic advocacy for Jan. 6 rioters. Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio endorsed Martin for the role, and other pardoned defendants have joined the chorus.
Stanley Woodward, Trump's third-in-command at the DOJ, represents yet another power center. A big-law veteran with Democratic ties — he worked with Stan Brand, the House's top lawyer under Speaker Tip O'Neill — Woodward has become a "MAGA magnet" representing high-profile Trump figures including Kash Patel, Peter Navarro, and numerous Jan. 6 defendants.
Woodward's position is precarious. Pro-Trump activist Laura Loomer has campaigned for his dismissal, arguing his Democratic pedigree makes him untrustworthy. However, Woodward has earned the trust of Susie Wiles, Trump's chief of staff. Wiles "first encountered Woodward during Trump's criminal case for hoarding classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and she helped arrange legal counsel for witnesses in Trump's orbit."
"He was always one of Susie's favorites," a lawyer who has worked with Woodward said. That protection may shield Woodward from MAGA pressure — for now.