Bondi praised McCommas’s elevation in a statement emphasizing that his legal experience makes him an “invaluable resource” for the job.

“I am thrilled to have Stuart McCommas’s legal expertise and strong leadership in the Chief of Staff role,” Bondi said. “Stuart has been and will continue to be an invaluable resource as this Department continues our historic work to execute President Trump’s agenda and Make America Safe Again.”

The appointment follows the departure of Mizelle, who announced his exit on Sept. 23, 2025, after working less than a year in the role. Mizelle, who also worked as acting associate attorney general at the same time, was one of the DOJ’s most visible senior officials, frequently signing major court filings and publicly defending the administration’s legal positions.

Unlike his predecessor, McCommas keeps a much lower profile, with no public social media accounts and no time spent on TV airwaves.

Mizelle still speaks with news pundits and often takes to X to defend the department’s work, criticize district judges when he believes they overstep their authorities, and, more recently, has used his personal account to call for a broader push to hire additional assistant U.S. attorneys amid recent personnel departures in local U.S. attorney offices.

His government X account was archived on Oct. 23, 2025, one month after his departure was announced. Bondi had gone without a chief of staff for more than three months.

At the time of Mizelle’s exit, CNN reported that some White House staffers had privately expressed frustration with his handling of the political fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files controversy. Those concerns, according to sources familiar with the discussions, centered on the belief that Mizelle should have done more to insulate Bondi when binders labeled as Epstein files were distributed to influencers last year, but were later revealed to contain no new information.

Bondi’s leadership has remained under scrutiny as President Donald Trump has reportedly pushed the DOJ to move more aggressively on a series of high-profile matters, including on stalled prosecutions of officials involved in past politicized investigations of Trump, the continued release and handling of Epstein-related files, and the pace of election-related criminal inquiries. The Wall Street Journal reported on Jan. 12 that Trump had privately discussed appointing special counsels out of frustration with what he viewed as slow progress at the DOJ, even as he and senior administration officials publicly reiterated their support for Bondi.

McCommas comes to the role from the Office of White House Counsel, where, under the leadership of David Warrington, he worked as deputy White House counsel and special assistant to the president. In that capacity, he helped oversee high-stakes litigation and coordinated the administration’s legal strategy across federal agencies, including working as the White House point person for the DOJ’s litigation portfolio.

McCommas played a central role in guiding more than 200 cases so far in Trump’s second term, including litigation involving nationwide injunctions and helping the administration secure more than 20 Supreme Court victories. He began working in the White House on Inauguration Day 2025 and has been part of Trump’s legal operation since volunteering for the 2016 campaign.

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Warrington praised McCommas’s move to the DOJ, calling him an “exceptional lawyer” who has been a staunch supporter of Trump since 2015. Warrington noted McCommas’s experience across two White House counsel offices and said he was proud to see him continue his public service as the DOJ’s new chief of staff.

McCommas’s elevation also places two members of the same family in senior legal roles across the administration. His brother, Brendan McCommas, works as a deputy legal adviser at the State Department and previously worked as a special assistant to the president and counselor for trade and manufacturing, according to his LinkedIn account.