(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) Former Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., a staunch supporter of the conservative Freedom Caucus, is slated for appointment to become a U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina.
Senior White House officials confirmed the news that President Donald Trump planned to nominate Bishop, The Federalist reported Wednesday.
Bishop, who had been working as deputy director in the Office of Management and Budget, spent two terms in North Carolina’s General Assembly prior to being elected to Congress. He won a special election to the U.S. House in 2019 after a Marc Elias-led lawfare campaign challenged the legitimacy of Republican winner Mark Harris in the 2018 race.
Bishop was reelected twice to Congress before opting last year to run unsuccessfully for North Carolina attorney general. Harris was elected to replace him in Congress.
Bishop also has experience as a longtime Charlotte-based attorney and former Mecklenburg County commissioner.
It remains to be seen whether his nomination to the Justice Department will quickly clear the U.S. Senate, particularly given the ongoing impasse over a continuing resolution to fund the government.
Democrats have seethed over the refusal of House Speaker Mike Johnson to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., who won a special-election race in September to replace her father, former Rep. Raúl Grijalva, after he died in March.
Senate Democrats also have attempted to slow-walk the appointment of several Trump nominees, including those to the Justice Department.
Bishop’s nomination comes at a crucial juncture for Charlotte, which has seen its crime epidemic come under intense scrutiny since the unprovoked Aug. 22 murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska while riding on the city’s public light-rail system.
Since then, several other public-transit attacks have occurred, including some by homeless individuals with multiple past criminal convictions or histories of mental illness.
CMPD has charged James Bennett with attempted murder after yesterday's stabbing on a CATS bus.
According to court documents, Bennett, whose address is listed as a homeless shelter, followed the victim around the bus. The male victim was trying to get away from Bennett. CMPD… pic.twitter.com/lC2LD5TQqV
— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) November 7, 2025
Harris recently sought to highlight the issue in a letter calling on Democrat Gov. Josh Stein and Charlotte city officials to dispatch the National Guard to deal with the city’s crime problem after the local police union reported severe personnel shortages.
Charlotte is bleeding.
Why is Charlotte Mayor Lyles ignoring these cries for help? Why is Governor Stein refusing to send reinforcements?
Here is a thread of JUST A FEW of the violent criminals pro-crime Democrats are allowing to roam the streets of Charlotte🧵⬇️ pic.twitter.com/SQKUjN9dZi
— Rep. Mark Harris (@RepMarkHarrisNC) November 3, 2025
The North Carolina legislature also has sought to address the issue by passing “Iryna’s Law,” a criminal-justice reform bill that toughened penalties for dangerous criminals and closed legal loopholes on pretrial “cashless bail” release for violent repeat offenders.
Harris told Headline USA that Bishop, if appointed, would prove an asset to the broader effort for criminal justice and accountability, although his jurisdiction at the DOJ would not include the Charlotte region.
“I’m sure Dan’s impact as a strong law and order leader will make a difference in our state overall,” he said.
Headline USA reached out to Bishop for comment and will update with any response.
Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.
