By Steve Neavling
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has chosen three members of his criminal defense team, including lead attorney Todd Blanche, to assume senior roles within the Justice Department.
Trump nominated Blanche, who represented him in a criminal trial earlier this year regarding hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, for the role of deputy attorney general, the Justice Department’s second-highest position, Reuters reports.
“Todd is an excellent attorney who will be a crucial leader in the Justice Department, fixing what has been a broken System of Justice for far too long,” Trump said in a statement.
The deputy attorney general oversees the department’s day-to-day operations, including more than 110,000 employees, and manages agencies like the FBI and other investigative bodies.
Rod Rosenstein, who previously served as deputy attorney general under Trump, described Blanche as a “highly credible” nominee for the position.
Blanche, a former federal prosecutor, is currently defending Trump in two federal cases: one involving efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and another concerning the retention of classified documents after leaving office in 2021. Both cases are expected to conclude before Trump’s inauguration in January.
Trump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the hush money case. Sentencing had been scheduled for Nov. 26, but all proceedings are now paused.
In addition to Blanche, Trump selected John Sauer, who successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court to grant Trump broad immunity in the 2020 election case, as solicitor general. The solicitor general represents the U.S. government in cases before the Supreme Court.
These appointments follow Trump’s announcement of former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a prominent Republican figure, as his nominee for attorney general.
The nominations signal Trump’s continued reliance on loyal allies to fill key positions in his administration. He has pledged to overhaul the Justice Department, which he has criticized for its investigations and prosecutions targeting himself and his associates.
Both Blanche and Sauer’s nominations will require confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
Trump also appointed Emil Bove, another member of his legal team, as Blanche’s top deputy. Bove will serve as acting deputy attorney general while Blanche awaits confirmation.
