Washington: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced on Thursday the nomination of three members of his criminal defense team to senior roles in the Justice Department. Lead attorney Todd Blanche, who defended Trump in his recent trial over hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, has been nominated for the position of deputy attorney general, the second-highest post in the department.
“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 stated.
The deputy attorney general role involves day-to-day supervision of the Justice Department’s 110,000 employees and oversees the FBI and other investigative bodies. Rod Rosenstein, who held the role during Trump’s first administration, expressed support, describing Blanche as a “highly credible” nominee.
Blanche, a former federal prosecutor, is currently defending Trump in two federal cases: one involving alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and another over his handling of classified documents after leaving office in 2021. Both cases are anticipated to conclude before Trump’s potential return to the White House in January. Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to the hush money case, with sentencing initially set for November 26, though proceedings are now paused.
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Trump also appointed John Sauer, who previously argued successfully before the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of Trump’s broad immunity in the 2020 election case, to serve as solicitor general. The solicitor general advocates for the U.S. government in Supreme Court cases.
This announcement follows Trump’s selection of former Representative Matt Gaetz, a Republican, as his nominee for attorney general. These choices reflect Trump’s ongoing strategy to place loyal allies in high-ranking Justice Department positions, with an aim to overhaul the department, which he has criticized for its investigations into himself and associates.
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Both nominations require U.S. Senate confirmation. Trump additionally named Emil Bove, another member of his defense team, as Blanche’s top deputy and acting deputy attorney general until Blanche’s confirmation.
