Kathryn Ruemmler, who served as White House counsel before returning to private practice earlier this year, has taken her name out of consideration to replace Attorney General Eric Holder.
A leading candidate to replace Holder, Ruemmler decided to take herself out of the running on her own even though White House officials were willing to strongly back her in what is expected to be intense confirmation hearings for anyone President Obama nominates to succeed Holder.
“Kathy took this step this week on her own volition — as she always has done: putting the president and the administration first,” a White House official said of the decision, first reported by Politico.
Other top contenders include Labor Secretary Tom Perez and Solicitor General Donald Verrilli.
White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough on Friday called Ruemmler a “world-class lawyer” who remains a trusted presidential adviser.
“Anyone who knows Kathy knows she has impeccable judgment, extraordinary foresight — and is a formidable force,” he said in a statement. “But she is also as selfless as they come, and the president is proud to call her a close friend.”
Obama doesn’t plan to nominate anyone until after the midterm election to avoid further politicizing what will undoubtedly be a fiercely partisan confirmation process.
Republicans on Capitol Hill were already readying attacks against Ruemmler, targeting her for the many high-profile legal issues she was involved in during her White House tenure.
Republican senators plan to sharply question whomever Obama nominates on the validity of the president’s repeated use of executive privilege to circumvent Congressional gridlock.
Ruemmler also specifically worked on key national security issues, such as Obama’s efforts to shutter the prison facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which would open her to questions on that topic as well.
