• President-elect Donald Trump has nominated three members of his defense team for senior roles at the Justice Department, including Todd Blanche as deputy attorney general.
• Blanche, a former federal prosecutor, has represented Trump in two federal cases and has been praised by Trump and former deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein.
• Trump has also nominated John Sauer as solicitor general and Emil Bove as Blanche's top deputy, while anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been named as secretary of health.
• These nominations have stirred controversy and raised questions about the future direction of Trump's presidency, with Senate confirmation yet to come.

In a significant move, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen three members of his criminal defense team for senior roles at the Justice Department. The key figure among these appointments is Todd Blanche, Trump's lead attorney, who has been nominated to serve as deputy attorney general.

This position is the second-highest at the Justice Department, and the individual in this role provides day-to-day supervision of the more than 110,000 employees of the Justice Department, as well as overseeing the FBI and other investigative agencies.

Blanche, a former federal prosecutor, has represented Trump in two federal cases. One case pertains to Trump's efforts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election, and the other involves his retention of classified documents after leaving office in 2021. Both cases are expected to conclude before Trump's return to the White House in January.

Blanche also defended Trump in a criminal case over hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records in this case.

Trump's choice of Blanche has been met with approval from some quarters. Rod Rosenstein, who served as deputy attorney general during Trump's first administration, called Blanche a highly credible nominee for the position. Trump himself praised Blanche, stating, 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's Other Key Nominations

In addition to Blanche, Trump has selected John Sauer, who successfully urged the U.S. Supreme Court to grant Trump broad immunity in the 2020 election case, as his solicitor general. The solicitor general represents the U.S. government before the Supreme Court. Trump also tapped Emil Bove, another member of his legal team, to serve as Blanche's top deputy and to be acting deputy attorney general while Blanche awaits confirmation.

These appointments come on the heels of Trump's nomination of former Representative Matt Gaetz, a Republican firebrand, as his nominee for attorney general. This move has been seen as another instance of Trump turning to loyal defenders to serve key roles in his administration. Trump has vowed to radically reshape the Justice Department, which has drawn his ire over its investigations and prosecutions of himself and several of his associates.

However, these nominations are subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate. The Senate's response to these nominations will be crucial in determining the future direction of the Justice Department under Trump's administration.

Controversy and Concerns Surrounding Trump's Nominations

In a related development, Trump has also named anti-vaccine activist and conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his secretary of health. This nomination has been seen as another provocative move by the incoming Republican president. Trump's choices for top jobs have unnerved the Washington establishment, and his recent nominations have intensified fears that his second presidency will be more extreme than his first.

These developments come at a time when Trump is embarking on a campaign of political shock and awe as he rolls out an administration designed to upend the US government. His transition team, which includes close to 100 people, is working on developing lists of candidates for key posts, running through the pros and cons with the president-elect, and then whittling those lists down for interviews. Some of the names of top contenders are handed off to research firms to be vetted.