In a conversation with a FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth reporter at the National Rifle Association (NRA) convention, Donald Trump said who he would consider tapping for attorney general.

Trump mentioned Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The reporter explicitly asked if Trump would consider Paxton for the role of U.S. attorney general in his administration.

“I would actually. He’s very very talented,” Trump responded.

We have a lot of people that want that one and will be very good at it,” Trump continued.

“But he’s a very talented guy. I fought for him when he had the difficulty [in impeachment] and he won. He had some people after him and I thought it was very unfair. He’s been a very good attorney general,” he added.

WATCH (starting at 3:55):

The Hill reports:

The two politicians have for the past year supported each other in their legal travails.

Paxton was at Trump’s hush money trial in New York last month to show his support for the former president, who is accused of improper payments related to the silencing of an adult film actor with whom he had allegedly had an affair.

“With President Trump in NYC to sit through this sham of a trial,” Paxton, a three-term Republican, wrote on the social platform X. “This trial is a travesty of justice. I stand with Trump.”

For his part, Trump has claimed credit for Paxton’s acquittal in last year’s trial on charges of bribery and abuse of his office.

The former president wrote on Truth Social at the time that his intervention “saved Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from going down at the hands of Democrats and some Republicans.”

The former president had threatened to target Republicans who voted in favor of impeachment — a threat he has made good on.

From The Texas Tribune:

Paxton has also seen his political prospects rise in recent months, after prosecutors agreed in March to drop three felony counts of securities fraud that had loomed over Paxton for nearly his entire tenure as attorney general. The resolution of the nine-year-old case, along with Paxton’s impeachment acquittal in the Senate last fall, has brought him closer than ever to a political career devoid of legal drama.

Still, Paxton’s critics say he is far from vindicated. He remains under federal investigation for the same allegations that formed the basis of his impeachment, and he continues to face a whistleblower lawsuit from former deputies who said they were illegally fired for reporting Paxton to law enforcement. A separate lawsuit from the state bar seeks to penalize Paxton for his 2020 election challenge, which relied on discredited claims of election fraud.

If nominated, Paxton would need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The chamber is narrowly divided along party lines, with Democrats holding a 51-49 majority. One of the most prominent Republican members, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, has been an outspoken critic of Paxton, while Paxton has openly entertained the idea of challenging Cornyn in 2026.

Paxton is not the only Texan Trump has floated for a high-profile spot in his potential administration. In February, he said Gov. Greg Abbott is “absolutely” on his short list of potential vice presidential candidates. Abbott has since downplayed his interest in the job.

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