Trump appoints legal team to key posts at Justice Department

If all are confirmed, they would report to Trump’s pick for U.S. attorney general, conservative Matt Gaetz, an unflinching supporter of the president-elect.

Although Trump’s lawyers have more traditional experience than Gaetz’s, Trump’s stated intention to restructure the department to pursue the “enemy within” with the nominations has raised questions among lawyers about the Justice Department’s future.

“This is a pretty clear sign that he is steering the Justice Department toward loyalty to himself rather than the independence that has been the tradition until now,” said Rebecca Roiphe, a professor at New York Law School.

The three lawyers have proven to be creative and consistent defenders of Trump, who has been fighting four separate criminal charges last year.

Trump announced that Mr. Blanche would begin “fixing the Justice System that has been broken for too long.”

Both Mr. Blanche and Mr. Bove have previous experience passing through the Southern District of New York, arguably the Justice Department’s most prestigious jurisdiction.

Mr. Blanche became head of violent crime at the SDNY before heading to the prestigious law firm WilmerHale and then striking out on his own — only to confront America’s most high-profile criminal defendant.

“They certainly have relevant experience, they certainly have prosecutorial experience,” said Emory Law School professor Jonathan Nash. He added that Mr. Blanche would have administrative experience from his time at SDNY and would be valuable for an assistant attorney general.

Mr. Blanche adopted Trump’s over-the-top stance at his New York criminal trial earlier this year, openly attacking the character of witnesses and arguing repeatedly with the judge. Some experts believe these tactics may have contributed to Trump’s loss.

But in a few days, Mr. Blanche could score his biggest victory yet: the overturning of his only criminal conviction in the Trump silence case. He and Mr. Bove argued that Trump’s conviction in New York should be overturned.

As U.S. attorney general, Mr. Sauer will represent the government in U.S. Supreme Court cases. He previously served as attorney general in Missouri, which legal experts said made him an unsurprising choice.

As Trump seeks to block a federal investigation into his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, Mr. Sauer has already scored a major victory for Trump before the nation’s highest court.

Mr. Sauer successfully argued at the Supreme Court that presidents should have immunity from criminal prosecution for certain “official acts” while in office.

More recently, Mr. Sauer argued in a New York appeals court that the nine-figure fine imposed on Trump in his civil fraud case should be overturned. The court has not yet made a decision.

It is not unheard of for U.S. presidents to appoint close legal allies to the Justice Department and other judicial authorities.

President John F. Kennedy made his brother Robert F. Kennedy U.S. attorney general in the 1960s. President Lyndon B Johnson selected his former attorney Abe Fortas for the United States Supreme Court.

But since the Watergate era, the Justice Department has mostly tried to position itself as independent of the president.

But Trump tested this norm. During his first term, he fired attorney general Jeff Sessions, who recused himself from an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Second, William Barr resigned after speaking out against Trump’s allegations of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.

While Mr. Blanche, Mr. Bove and Mr. Sauer were more understandable choices, Trump’s decision to nominate Gaetz, who has a House ethics investigation hanging over his head, sent the clearest message.

“Trump, especially in this second term, comes in as someone who wants to drain the swamp, shake things up and bring in the outside perspective,” Mr. Nash said.