Several sources familiar with the on goings at the Tennessee Capitol told The Tennessee Star that a recruitment effort has started in an attempt to persuade former Deputy to the Governor and Chief Counsel Lang Wiseman to seek the position of attorney general. This development comes in the wake of news regarding Governor Bill Lee’s Chief Operating Officer Brandon Gibson, who is making it known that her interest in applying for the attorney general job has waned.
“The news that Brandon Gibson is suddenly unlikely to even apply for the job has kicked off a full-throated effort to recruit Lang Wiseman to apply for the job and become the new favorite of the governor,” said one source on the condition of background.
“The squish crowd is trying to find the closest replacement for Brandon Gibson. They want someone to be the moderate champion to take over the job lest anyone who is an actual conservative get it. They are looking for a known commodity from ‘Bill Lee land’ and Wiseman fits that bill,” added another source. “He would give them a lot of features that Gibson would have.”
“All indications are that Brandon Gibson has let it be known that she is unlikely to apply due to negative reaction and they are scrambling to recruit an ideologically similar replacement in the form of Lockdown Lang Wiseman,” a source said
Several individuals characterized Wiseman to The Star as “Lockdown Lang” because they say he was the architect of many, if not all, of Lee’s initial response orders regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wiseman is currently employed as an attorney at Baker Donelson, where he is a shareholder.
Attorney General Herb Slatery III’s term expires at the end of August, and he is not seeking an additional eight-year term.
The Star previously reported that the Tennessee Supreme Court announced in mid-July the application process details in the search to find the next attorney general.
“The Tennessee Supreme Court will open the application period for the position of State Attorney General and Reporter on July 15, 2022. Under the state constitution, the Tennessee Attorney General and Reporter is appointed by the state Supreme Court and serves an eight-year term. The term for the new Attorney General will begin September 1, 2022,” said the state Supreme Court in a statement.
The state Supreme Court noted that applications are due by July 29, and public hearings and candidate interviews will be held on August 8 and 9.
“Interested candidates must submit an application by 12:00 p.m. CDT on Friday, July 29, 2022. The Supreme Court will hold a public hearing to interview candidates on August 8 and 9, 2022 at the Nashville Supreme Court Building. The hearings will be livestreamed to the TNCourts YouTube page,” the state Supreme Court said.
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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]. Follow Aaron on GETTR, Twitter, Truth Social, and Parler.
Photo “Lang Wiseman” by Tennessee Office of the Governor. Background Photo “Tennessee State Capitol” by Peggy Anderson. CC BY-SA 4.0.
You people realize this “liberal” is a Fred Thompson protégé, don’t you?
I am sure that Lee and the rubber stamp Supreme Court will choose a liberal for the job. One who will continue in the image of Slatery. What a disgrace.