Confirming widely-circulated rumors, ABC News reported today that Attorney General John Ashcroft will turn in his resignation, which Bush will no doubt accept. Ashcroft has been telling people for months that he would leave regardless of what happened in the election, so this isn’t a big surprise.
I’ve seen some speculation that Rudy Giuliani might replace him, but I’d be very surprised if this came to pass. The religious right and the rest of the GOP’s far-right base now believe that they’ve delivered Bush a second term — and plan to use their influence accordingly. I can’t imagine how the far-right would tolerate Bush naming an admitted adulterer who supports gay rights and opposes any restrictions on abortion to be the nation’s top law enforcement official. Just a hunch. I suspect the GOP base would allow Giuliani to replace Tom Ridge at DHS, but not attorney general.
So, who else is the leading contender to replace the worst attorney general since Ed Meese? Over the summer, Time reported that Larry Thompson appeared to have the president’s support.
Well-placed Republican sources say the President has gone out of his way to take the spotlight off [Ashcroft] at high-profile law-enforcement-related events. It was Ashcroft’s former deputy, Larry Thompson, now a visiting law professor at the University of Georgia, who joined Bush at a recent event promoting the Patriot Act in Buffalo, N.Y. And the White House prevailed upon Thompson to sit near Ashcroft during his testimony before the 9/11 commission in an attempt to soften the Attorney General’s hard edge with commission members, who have grown contemptuous of his imperious manner and methods.
Thompson, an African American, left Justice after serving almost two years under Ashcroft. Many believe Thompson may be back and in the top job if Bush wins a second term. In Buffalo, Bush extolled Thompson’s credentials before a crowd and implied that Justice needs him back. “Larry, we miss you over there,” Bush said. “Don’t get too comfortable.”
Something to look out for. If not Thompson, the competition for the high-profile slot could become interesting.