(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Democrats are speculating about who could replace Attorney General Merrick Garland if Vice President Kamala Harris emerges victorious in the 2024 election—and some are suggesting she might keep it in the family.
Harris’s allies are naming Tony West, Harris’s brother-in-law, as a potential candidate for the top law enforcement position in a new administration, according to Politico Magazine’s Ankush Khardori.
An Obama-Biden administration alum, West served as assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s Civil Division from 2009 to 2012 and was promoted to assistant attorney general, a position he held from 2012 to 2014.
West currently works as senior vice president of legal affairs at Uber. He took a leave of absence from this high-profile role to assist the Harris campaign after she inherited the Democratic ticket for president in July.
Headline USA’s request for a comment or phone interview sent to West’s Uber email address on Wednesday evening received an automatic reply, informing that he is “on personal leave of absence” until November.
West has been married to Maya Harris since 1998 and is also the stepfather to Meena Harris, a media executive, who has come under scrutiny for allegedly profiting from her family ties to the vice president.
According to a Politico report, Maya unsuccessfully parroted West’s name as a potential candidate for attorney general after the 2020 election.
He was ultimately skipped for Garland, then a federal judge who had been nominated to the Supreme Court by former President Barack Obama in 2016. To his detriment, Senate Republicans refused to consider the nomination until after the 2020 election.
West’s name first appeared in an Aug. 7 report by Axios, which noted he could be considered for a role as White House counsel or at the DOJ if Harris defeats President Donald Trump this November.
Axios suggested that West’s family ties to Harris might pose an obstacle in the Senate confirmation process, particularly if Republicans regain the majority.
West, along with former Attorney General Eric Holder, led the vetting process for Harris’s running mate, ultimately resulting in the selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
If Harris decides against tapping West for the attorney general role, she might turn her eyes to Vanita Gupta, the leftist former associate attorney general who left her position in February.
