Donald Trump picks his criminal lawyer, Todd Blanche, as deputy attorney general
WASHINGTON – President-elect Donald Trump chose Todd Blanche, a lawyer who represented him aggressively in his New York hush money trial and in two federal criminal cases, to serve as deputy attorney general in his next administration.
Trump chose Blanche to join former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who was picked to become attorney general.The deputy is a key administrative post in the Justice Department, helping formulate and implement policies while supervising agencies such as the FBI.
When Trump’s first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, recused himself from investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed special counsel Robert Mueller. Trump tried to halt Mueller’s inquiry and fired Sessions after the 2018 midterm election.
Gaetz applauded the Blanche decision in a post on X, sharing "We are building an incredible team at the Department of Justice in the Trump/Vance Administration!"
Rod Rosenstein, who held the deputy attorney general role in the first Trump administration, praised the appointment.
"Todd Blanche is a superb choice for Deputy Attorney General," Rosenstein said. "I'm confident that he will promote the rule of law and advance the important traditions of the Department of Justice."
Trump also named another of his attorneys, Emil Bove, as principal associate deputy attorney general, the department’s number 3 official.
"Emil Bove will be ready on day one for the challenging job of managing the Department of Justice," Rosenstein told USA TODAY.
More: Trump tests GOP-led Senate with controversial cabinet picks
During Trump’s criminal hush money trial in New York, Blanche confronted former lawyer Michael Cohen during cross-examination and called him a liar.Trump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide reimbursements to Cohen for paying to keep porn actress Stormy Daniels quiet about an alleged sexual encounter before the 2016 election.
But Judge Juan Merchan postponed sentencing while asking lawyers for additional arguments about how to handle punishment in the case with Trump’s presidency pending.
Blanche was also part of the legal teams defending Trump against two sets of federal charges, for alleged election interference and mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House.
One judge dismissed the classified documents charges; that decision is being appealed. Another judge is weighing whether to dismiss election interference charges under a Supreme Court decision in July that found Trump was presumptively shielded from charges for official acts as president.
The delaying strategy held off action in either federal case until after the election. After Trump’s victory, Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith is winding down both cases under department policy barring prosecution of a sitting president.
Trump also picks solicitor general
Blanche wasn't the only legal pick Trump announced on Thursday. The president-elect also said he'll tap Dean John Sauer will serve as solicitor general under his administration.
The solicitor general is sometimes referred to as the "10th justice of the Supreme Court." The role leads a team of attorneys who argue before the Supreme Court on behalf of the government. Sauer is a former solicitor general of Missouri.
He also represented Trump in his presidential immunity case, in which the Supreme Court ruled he could be tried for any of his efforts to overturn his 2020 White House loss that were not taken in his "official capacity" as president.
Sauer argued at the Supreme Court that Trump should be immune from charges for actions as president unless he were first impeached for any infractions.
His argument was derided for seemingly suggesting presidential immunity allowed Trump to order the military to kill his rivals or to accept bribes without consequence, as Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a dissent.
But a 6-3 majority decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts agreed that former presidents should be presumptively shielded from charges for official actions hey took as president.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump picks his lawyer, Todd Blanche, as deputy attorney general