President Donald Trump may be considering elevating EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to attorney general, a move that would catapult the environmental regulator into one of the most powerful positions in the federal government.
Zeldin, a former Republican member of Congress who unsuccessfully ran for governor of New York in 2022, was long considered to have political aspirations that went beyond leading EPA. Recent stumbles by Attorney General Pam Bondi that brought her out of favor with Trump may have opened up an opportunity for Zeldin to rise to a more prominent place in the president’s Cabinet.
Trump announced Bondi was out in a post Thursday on Truth Social. “We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector,” he said, adding that Todd Blanche, who has been serving as deputy attorney general, would step in as acting AG.
A former Zeldin congressional aide said they weren’t surprised the ex-congressman could be Trump’s next attorney general. Zeldin wouldn’t turn down the role, considering his “public service mentality.”
