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The top choice of president-elect Donald Trump to become the next U.S. attorney for the state of South Carolina is reportedly passing on the opportunity.
Columbia, S.C. attorney Debbie Barbier – a former federal prosecutor who briefly advised the former president – has told Trump’s transition team she would not accept the U.S. attorney’s nomination owing to several high-profile civil cases she is currently working on.
Among them? A major lawsuit against Airbnb tied to a Palmetto State voyeurism scandal.
With Barbier out of the running, speculation has turned to Bryan Stirling, director of the S.C. Department of Corrections (SCDC). Stirling – a top contender for the post during Trump’s first term – has reportedly been approached again and asked if he would be interested in serving. It is not immediately clear how he responded to these overtures, but in the event he wanted the job he would certainly be one of the frontrunners for it.
The U.S. attorney is the top federal prosecutor for the Palmetto State – appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate. The office has been held since July 2022 by Adair Ford Boroughs, who was appointed by president Joe Biden.
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As my news outlet reported at the time, Boroughs was not Biden’s first choice for this incredibly influential position. That was S.C. first circuit solicitor David Pascoe. Unfortunately for Pascoe, his nomination was blocked by U.S. senator Lindsey Graham.
Former S.C. House minority leader James Smith emerged thereafter as a favored candidate for the post, but he was dogged by his proximity to a 2018 scandal involving improper contracts he received from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Republicans also struggled to fill this position the last time they occupied the White House. A lengthy proxy war between GOP leaders in the Palmetto State prevented Sherri Lydon from assuming this office until May 2018 – nearly a year-and-a-half after Trump was sworn in. This news outlet praised Lydon’s work, but she wasn’t on the job for very long – with Trump tapping her for a federal judgeship. Lydon took her place on the federal bench in December 2019.
Former S.C. House judiciary chairman Peter McCoy followed Lydon in office in April 2020 and served until February of the following year.
Sources close to the search process say Trump – who has a fondness for South Carolina as the state which launched his first victorious campaign – wants to avoid another proxy fight and is urging Palmetto State GOP leaders to get together on a consensus nominee.
Stay tuned to FITSNews as we track these developments…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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