If America must now enter the uncharted waters of prosecuting a former president, appointing a Republican as attorney general would provide the public with crucial assurance that the rule of law—not partisanship—is behind the charges. Under other circumstances, there would be no cause to replace Merrick Garland, who has a fine record of unbiased and measured enforcement of our laws. But these are not normal times.
As vice chairman of the Jan. 6 committee, Ms. Cheney has shed light on Mr. Trump’s bid to hold the White House illegitimately. She has upheld fair elections and the rule of law as tenets of American democracy—principles many Republicans seem to ignore.
A graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, Ms. Cheney has the skills necessary for a superb attorney general. As a critic of the Obama and Biden administrations, a former member of the House Republican leadership and the daughter of a former Republican vice president, she has the requisite GOP bona fides, too. It’s possible Ms. Cheney would decline the president’s offer. But that shouldn’t prevent him from asking—or from seeking other Republican candidates in her place.
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