The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced at a private dinner at the White House on Wednesday night (3) that he will nominate Todd Blanche for the position of the country’s attorney general.
Trump adviser Dan Scavino posted a video on Facebook of the president announcing the decision during dinner in the Rose Garden.
“Tomorrow, I will instruct Dan and everyone else involved in this very complicated process, which I believe will be very quick, so that we appoint him attorney general on a permanent basis,” said the president in the video.
When Trump makes the nomination official, it will end the two-month period in which Blanche served in the role on an interim basis.
Since then, Blanche, Trump’s former personal lawyer known for his combative style, has struggled to demonstrate to the president that she is up to the task.
In a statement prior to CNN, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, “The president has a great relationship with the acting attorney general and is very pleased with the work he has done so far.”
“Todd Blanche is an American patriot who fearlessly fought against the Democrats’ unprecedented legal campaign on behalf of President Trump,” he added.
“The president’s entire team at the Justice Department is doing a great job defending common sense, law and order, and policies that keep Americans safe.”
The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment.
Blanche’s imminent appointment was practically a certainty from the start. The president frequently suggested the job was his and praised him as a loyal ally and a skilled lawyer.
In recent weeks, the prosecutor has only increased his prestige in the White House. He secured indictments against some of the president’s personal enemies, repealed gun control measures and subpoenaed journalists to reveal their sources.
He also announced broad anti-fraud initiatives across the country that work in conjunction with the White House’s “war on fraud.”
claim that Blanche has been carrying out the president’s personal and political agenda, using the Justice Department as her own attack mechanism.
His likely appointment comes amid ongoing backlash against the department over a proposed $1.776 billion fund aimed at compensating people who allege they were unfairly prosecuted by the government.
The fund was initially announced as part of an agreement between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the president, his adult children and the Trump Organization.
Republicans in Congress revolted against the fund — many of them especially concerned that participants in the January 6, 2021, protests would receive compensation.
After weeks of strong and relentless resistance from the president’s own party, Blanche announced on Tuesday that the department was abandoning the initiative.
Blanche, in turn, vehemently declared her desire for the position and her support for the president. At a press conference shortly after being named acting attorney general, Blanche told reporters that working for Trump is “the greatest honor of my life.”
“If he chooses to nominate someone else and asks me to do something else, I will say, ‘Thank you very much, I love you, sir,’” he said.
