George Conway III has withdrawn from consideration for an appointment in the Department of Justice (DOJ), telling senior administration officials he prefers to stay in the private sector for the immediate future. Earlier rumors suggested the Trump administration was preparing to name him solicitor general, the nation’s top appeals lawyer, before the Wall Street Journal announced in March that Conway would be tapped to lead the DOJ’s civil division. The civil division defends the federal government in criminal and civil proceedings, pursues fraud prosecutions to recover federal funds, handles complex, multi-jurisdictional litigation, and supervises the removal of illegal aliens.