Justice Department attorneys now hope that Trump’s pick for the critical No. 2 position at the department — Todd Blanche, the president-elect’s defense lawyer — can help protect the ...

Justice Department attorneys now hope that Trump’s pick for the critical No. 2 position at the department — Todd Blanche, the president-elect’s defense lawyer — can help protect the ...

Donald Trump, flanked by attorney Todd Blanche, speaks to the press after he was convicted in his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 30, 2024.

Attorney Todd Blanche listens as his client former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he arrives for his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30, 2024 in New York City.

Blanche first joined the Justice Department as a paralegal in the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, while in law school.

If confirmed as deputy attorney general by the Republican-led Senate, Blanche would manage the day-to-day operations of the sprawling Justice Department, which Trump has vowed to radically overhaul.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Todd Blanche, an attorney who led the legal team that defended the Republican at his hush money criminal trial, to serve as the second ...