The Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris brother-in-law was taken up as a possible candidate for the U.S. Attorney General in the incoming administration of Biden, according to sources.
Tony West, who is married to Harris’ sister Maya Harris, is a prosecutor working in the Clinton administration and an assistant attorney general in the Obama administration. He is also the Chief Compliance Officer of Uber.
Bren Crump, a representative representing the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, backed West in an op-ed for USA Today.
“We need an unimpeachable attorney general who can repair the bonds of trust between the people and the DOJ, who has a proven record of civil rights, who has worked with the business community yet is committed to fair justice when they overreach, and who knows the pitfalls of the people of color system,” Crump wrote. “In my opinion given this important moment in history, no one is more uniquely qualified for this role than Tony West.”
He added, “This Cabinet pick will be one of the most important, given the past four years of civil rights wreckage by the Trump administration. To move forward, we need a strong leader at Justice who will manage our nation’s conscience of crisis from our boardrooms to our courtrooms — one who feels and understands our pain.”
America needs an attorney general who has fought for justice for ALL people — who can repair bonds of trust between the people and DOJ, and who knows the system’s pitfalls for POC. There is no one more uniquely qualified for this role than @TonyWest.https://t.co/CLpjTgtqp8
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) December 1, 2020
Still, having Harris as his sister-in-law could be a problem for those concerned about nepotism in the administration.
Republican senators have suggested a willingness to confirm Sen. Doug Jones, D-ALa., who lost his reelection bid last month, to the position, according to NPR.
Others being floated for the job include former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who served in Obama’s justice department, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, former Homeland Security adviser Lisa Monaco, and Sally Yates, a former deputy attorney general who was fired by President Trump early in his term.
Biden has already announced several key nominations, including former Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen as treasury secretary and Antony Blinken for secretary of state.
