Refused Attorney General Bid, Deukmejian Says

Former Gov. George Deukmejian says he has told the White House he enjoys private life and is not interested in being considered for U.S. attorney general.

Deukmejian, now a Los Angeles-based attorney, has been widely named in speculation about a replacement for Dick Thornburgh, who resigned last month to run for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania.

After Thornburgh officially had left office, White House Chief of Staff John N. Sununu telephoned Deukmejian to ask whether he would be interested in being considered for the post by President Bush, Deukmejian said in an interview. “I told him no, I was very, very happy where I am and was not interested,” the former governor continued.

Deukmejian said Sununu implied he was being invited to be placed on a “short list” of candidates for potential nomination.

Deukmejian, 63, served one term as California attorney general before being elected twice as governor. Law-and-order issues were the staple of his political career and he was asked whether the prospect of becoming the nation’s chief law enforcement official was not tempting. “Having that kind of opportunity a few years ago, I probably would have jumped at it,” he said.

“But after a total of 28 years in office and having now tasted the private life, without having to deal with the news media or the Legislature or worrying about millions of people, I’m really just enjoying having the opportunity to have a normal lifestyle.”