Attorney Todd Blanche, who defended Donald Trump in his criminal New York hush-money trial, has emerged as a top candidate for U.S. attorney general, although some state AG’s are also in contention.
The opening emerged after the sudden withdrawal of the president-elect’s first pick, Matt Gaetz.
Blanche had already been tapped by Trump, who named him to be Gaetz’s No. 2 at the Department of Justice as deputy AG, among his slew of Cabinet and West Wing picks.
‘I am pleased to announce that Todd Blanche will serve as Deputy Attorney General in my Administration,’ the 78-year-old former president announced last week.
‘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 touted the 50-year-old’s experience in prosecuting gangs and the fact he stood by his side during the Manhattan case where he was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records tied to the payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Emil Bove, another attorney on the hush money trial team, was given the role of principal associate deputy attorney general while John Sauer, the lawyer in Trump’s Supreme Court immunity case, was chosen as solicitor general.
Attorney Todd Blanche listens as his client former President Donald Trump speaks as he arrives at Manhattan criminal court during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York, May 30, 2024
Blanche was already up for a post that requires Senate confirmation.
His close relationship with the president could make for a bumpy road with Democrats in the Senate as the Justice Department is expected to be run independently of a president’s desires.
But Republicans will have the majority come January.
Trump has also appointed another member of his defense team, Bove, to serve as principal associate deputy attorney general.
Prior to the Trump case, Bove was the co-chief of the national security unit at the US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York.
In a statement to CNN when he was hired, Blanche called Bove ‘an expert in white collar and CIPA-related litigation’.
Gaetz withdrew his name following a new allegation that the embattled Republican had a threesome that involved a minor.
The announcement came a day after the House Ethics Committee deadlocked on releasing a report into allegations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use by Gaetz.
Donald Trump, sitting with attorneys Emil Bove (L) and Todd Blanche (R), attends his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 21, 2024
On Wednesday, Gaetz had met with Republican senators whose support he would have needed to be confirmed as attorney general.
Many senators had privately expressed concerns about whether he could be confirmed due to the ethics investigation about allegations of drug uses, sex parties and sex with a minor.
Gaetz has already resigned from the House of Representatives for this term but was re-elected to the Congress that is sworn into office on January 3rd. He will return as a lawmaker.
A slew of potential appointees have emerged for top Cabinet or West Wing roles since just after Election Day.
Those include Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as co-heads of the ‘Department of Government Efficiency’, and John Ratcliffe as Director of the CIA.
But the president-elect sent shockwaves through the Republican Party with his announcement of Gaetz as his Attorney General in a bold test of his unchecked power that proved a bridge too far.
Former US President Donald Trump, with his lawyer Todd Blanche, walks to speak to the press at the end of the day of his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on May 16, 2024.
Trump announced his decision just minutes after issuing a statement saying he will nominate former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard, who has infuriated critics with claims about ‘biolabs’ in Ukraine, to be Director of National Intelligence.
He has also chosen military veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth to run the sprawling Defense Department, despite little experience managing anything of that scale.
Gaetz’s withdrawal puts more pressure on Hegseth, who is battling his own sordid sexual assault allegations that are putting a damper on his confirmation process.
The former Fox News host broke his silence on the allegations from 2017 that surfaced in a scathing police report released on Wednesday night.
‘As far as the media is concerned, the matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared,’ he told reporters on Capitol Hill on Thursday.
‘That’s where I’m gonna leave it,’ he said before walking away before meeting with more Republican senators who will vote on his nomination.
Some other names who have been mentioned as potential candidates to head the Justice Department in the second Trump administration include Texas AG Ken Paxton, who has taken up conservative legal battles, including immigration and election integrity.
Texas AG Ken Paxton, pictured in 2017, is seen as a potential Trump attorney general candidate
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, testifying before the House Judiciary Committee earlier this year, is also in the running
Utah Sen. Mike Lee’s name has been mention as a possible Justice Department chief
Trump could also bring back his first term AG, Bill Barr, pictured testifying on the fentanyl scourge
The staunch Trump supporter last week asked a federal judge for an emergency order to force special counsel Jack Smith to preserve all of his investigative records despite announcing he was shutting down the criminal cases he has brought against Trump.
The move is seen as laying the groundwork for an effort to hold Smith accountable for prosecuting Trump.
Then there is Missouri’s top lawman Andrew Bailey, who was tapped by Gov. Mike Parson in 2022 to be the state’s AG after Eric Schmitt was elected to the U.S. Senate.
Bailey, an Army veteran, worked in the Missouri attorney general’s office and also served as an assistant county prosecutor and a state government lawyer before joining Parson’s office.
Also mentioned has been Bill Barr, who served as attorney general under Trump, and held the same position under George H.W. Bush, and Utah Sen. Mike Lee, known for his constitutional conservatism, advocacy for limited government and strong support for Trump’s policies.
