SANTA FE -- David Iglesias doesn't want to be replaced by a "politically connected" New Mexican nominee.

Instead, the fired U.S. Attorney has given a vote of confidence to two of his most trusted former aides, both of whom have already been interviewed by the Justice Department.

Iglesias's rejection of a political nominee to replace him as U.S. Attorney most directly affects Republican Jim Bibb. He last year ran unsuccessfully for attorney general against the eventual winner, Democrat Gary King.

Bibb's name was mentioned as a possible replacement for Iglesias in a recently released federal Justice Department memo, according to yesterday's Albuquerque Tribune.

Bibb is likely caught in the crossfire between Iglesias and New Mexico's senior U.S. Senator, Republican Pete Domenici. Domenici is widely considered to have pushed the administration to fire Iglesias over what he perceived as foot-dragging on political probes.

Iglesias said rejecting political replacements would "allay any fears that the public has that whoever replaces us may be overly political in light of the revelations and the scandal that politics played a huge roll in our terminations."

Domenici proposed Bibb and three other New Mexico Republicans, including Albuquerque attorney Pat Rogers, as replacements shortly after Iglesias's firing. Rogers is among Republicans who made complaints about the former U.S. Attorney.

The senator also nominated Santa Fe attorney Glenn Ellington and former assistant attorney general Charles Peifer for the spot.

Under normal circumstances the Justice Department would select one of Domenici's four nominations to fill the vacancy. However, the veteran senator is under a cloud over his role in Iglesias's removal and will face a related Senate ethics committee inquiry.

Instead, Iglesias weighed in by recommending that either his former first assistant, Larry Gomez, or executive assistant U.S. Attorney Rumaldo Armijo, should succeed him. Either would do "a wonderful job" as U.S. Attorney, he said.

New Mexico's Democratic Senator Jeff Bingaman has nominated Albuquerque lawyer Jason Bowles for the Iglesias vacancy.