On Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump revealed that he would nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), an accused sex offender known for his staunch loyalty to Trump, to lead the Justice Department. (Gaetz has denied wrongdoing.) On Thursday evening, Trump announced that three other lawyers he has close personal relationships with would also be nominated for top DOJ jobs.
That means the top four jobs at the Justice Department, the office that brings federal prosecutions, will be held by people whose records suggest they will advance Trump’s personal interests. All three of these four lawyers have serious legal credentials and institutional knowledge and thus can be effective in advancing those interests.
Trump Todd chose BlancheCriminal defense lawyer in his New York hush money trial (where he faces charges of paying to keep sexual encounters quiet), to become deputy attorney general. This is job number 2 in the Judiciary. The DAG, as the position is known within the department, wields tremendous power over federal criminal justice. If successfully deployed, Blanche will 93 Regional US Attorney Supervision who bring the vast majority of all federal cases in the United States. So Blanche will have a lot of authority over who will be judged.
Meanwhile, Trump wants John SauerThe lawyer who represented him in the Supreme Court case that held that Trump is allowed to serve as solicitor general, to commit crimes for using presidential power. Introduction Oversees the legal strategy of the judiciary at the Supreme CourtIncluding the arguments of many important cases. They also decide which cases the DOJ will appeal if the federal government loses a case in a trial court.
One of Trump’s personal criminal defense attorneys, Emil BoveThe principal associate will serve as deputy attorney general and hold the DAG spot on an acting basis until Blanche or another Trump nominee is confirmed or otherwise formally appointed to the job. Unlike the DAG and Solicitor General, Bove’s new role Senate confirmation is not required. So he can start this job on the first day of Trump’s second presidency.
This is not the first time a president has tried to place one of his personal lawyers in a high-ranking position in government. President Lyndon Johnson, for example, The name is Abe FortusHis friend and personal lawyer, in the Supreme Court in 1965. If you know anything about Fortus’ very short tenure at court, you know that The appointment did not end well.
Based on their resumes, all three men are conventionally qualified for the job. Both Blanche And Bov Worked as a federal prosecutor for nine years before entering private practice. Sauer is a former law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia Previously served as Solicitor General of Missouri. If picked by President Nikki Haley, it’s easy to see all three joining the judiciary without much controversy.
But Trump often talks about using the DOJ to target his political opponents and those he sees as enemies. An NPR report on October 22 found that Trump “Made more than 100 threats to prosecute or punish perceived enemies” It contained threats in Trump’s words, “Appoint a real special prosecutor to go after Joe Biden, the most corrupt president in the history of the United States, and the entire Biden crime family.”
Trump also accused former Republican Liz Cheney, a prominent Republican critic of the incoming president, of “rebellion” and threatened to “Television Military Tribunal” (Which, if they were to actually happen, would likely take place within the legal framework of the Department of Defense, but would involve some DOJ personnel.)
Trump’s decision to name Gaetz, a staunch loyalist, to lead the Justice Department is cause for alarm enough if you fear the United States is slipping into authoritarianism. Historically, the White House has adhered to strong rules against interfering with Justice Department prosecutorial decisions, but these rules have no legal force. So someone like Gaetz could break this barrier completely.
Trump’s decision to appoint his personal lawyers to top DOJ jobs is equally troubling. Federal lawyers are supposed to represent the interests of the United States when acting on behalf of the government, not any particular politician. But Trump has chosen three people who are not only used to representing his personal interests, but who have likely collected substantial legal fees from him.
The conventional resumes of Blanche, Sauer, and Bove mean that, if they were to use their DOJ posts to further Trump’s personal campaign of vengeance, they could be fairly effective in doing so. Known as a DOJ outsider Political stunt in actionGaetz may struggle to navigate the department’s internal bureaucracy or resist its internal culture, which seeks to separate prosecutorial decisions from the White House.
Blanche, Sauer, and Gaetz still need to be confirmed — assuming Trump doesn’t use recess appointments or some other method to get around the Senate confirmation process. But if Trump gets his way, his ultra-loyal attorney general will now be supported by people who know the culture of the judiciary and elite federal lawyers quite well.
