Who Is Lee Zeldin? Possibly Trump’s Next Attorney General

Lee Zeldin, the EPA administrator since January 2025, is being considered as a potential replacement for Attorney General Pam Bondi should President Trump dismiss her, according to reporting by the New York Times and CNN. Trump has privately discussed firing Bondi since January over her department's handling of Epstein files and frustration that she has not investigated his political critics aggressively enough, though he publicly stated Wednesday that "Attorney General Pam Bondi is a wonderful person and she is doing a good job." Zeldin, a 46-year-old Trump loyalist and former New York congressman, has overseen what he described as "the largest act of deregulation in the history of the United States" at the EPA, including repeals of environmental protections for wetlands and endangered species. If Trump chooses Zeldin to lead the Justice Department, it would mark the second Cabinet removal of his second term, following the replacement of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last month. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has also been mentioned as a potential candidate, but Zeldin's name has surfaced most frequently in discussions of the role.