President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday appointed three members of his criminal defense team to senior roles at the Justice Department, including Todd Blanche as deputy attorney general. Blanche, who served as Trump’s lead attorney in a recent criminal trial over hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, will take on the second-highest position at the department.
“Todd is an excellent attorney who will play a crucial leadership role in the Justice Department, fixing what has been a broken System of Justice for far too long,” Trump said in a statement.
As deputy attorney general, Blanche will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Justice Department’s more than 110,000 employees and supervise investigative agencies like the FBI. Rod Rosenstein, who previously held the position during Trump’s first term, praised Blanche as a “highly credible” choice for the role.
Blanche, a former federal prosecutor, currently represents Trump in two federal cases: one involving his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and another concerning his retention of classified documents after leaving office. Both cases are expected to conclude before Trump assumes office in January. Earlier this year, Blanche also defended Trump against 34 criminal charges related to falsifying business records in the hush money case. While Trump was convicted, the court has paused all proceedings, including a sentencing initially scheduled for November 26.
Trump further bolstered his legal team’s influence by selecting John Sauer, who successfully argued for Trump’s broad immunity in the 2020 election case before the U.S. Supreme Court, as his solicitor general. In this role, Sauer will represent the U.S. government in cases before the Supreme Court.
In another move, Trump nominated former Representative Matt Gaetz, a staunch ally, for attorney general. Trump aims to reshape the Justice Department, which he has criticized for its investigations into him and his associates.
Trump also tapped Emil Bove, another trusted member of his legal team, to serve as Blanche’s top deputy. Bove will act as deputy attorney general while Blanche awaits Senate confirmation. Both Blanche and Sauer will require Senate approval for their appointments.
