Donald Trump has selected two attorneys who defended him in his New York hush money trial to top roles in the Justice Department.
Todd Blanche has been nominated to serve as deputy attorney general, while Trump selected Emil Bove as principal associate deputy attorney general. Bove also will serve as acting deputy attorney general while Blanche is going through the Senate confirmation process.
Their selections are further evidence that Trump wants to transform the Justice Department into a team of loyalists, raising fear that he will break the tradition of the DOJ’s independence from the White House. On Wednesday, Trump made the surprise announcement that Matt Gaetz, a Republican firebrand in Congress, was his nominee as attorney general. There are some doubts as to whether he will be able to get the votes in the Senate.
Blanche was the lead attorney in the hush money case. Trump was found guilty on 34 counts related to the hush money payments made to porn actress Stormy Daniels in advance of the 2016 election. Trump said that Blanche would be a “crucial leader in the Justice Department, fixing what has been a broken system of justice for far too long.”
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Trump also nominated John Sauer, who represented him in the presidential immunity case before the Supreme Court this year, as solicitor general. Sauer previously served as solicitor general of Missouri.
The post Donald Trump Taps Todd Blanche And Emil Bove, Lawyers Who Defended Him In Hush Money Case, For Top Justice Department Roles appeared first on Deadline.
