Senator Dick Durbin, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has voiced strong concerns over the appointments made by President-elect Donald Trump for key roles in the Justice Department. Durbin accused Donald Trump of attempting to "weaponise" the department, suggesting that his selection of controversial figures like Matt Gaetz and his personal attorneys indicates a broader strategy to use the Justice Department for political vengeance.
“Donald Trump viewed the Justice Department as his personal law firm during his first term, and these selections – his personal attorneys – are poised to do his bidding,” Durbin said in a statement, stressing that the American people deserve a Justice Department that upholds “equal justice under the law.”
The announcement that Matt Gaetz, the former Florida Congressman who faced a long-running Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations, would serve as attorney general has raised eyebrows across the political spectrum.
Gaetz, who had denied any wrongdoing, resigned from office following Trump’s announcement. This came as the House Ethics Committee is set to release a final report on the matter, which would include testimony from a woman who accused Gaetz of having sex with her when she was 17 in Florida.
In further developments, Donald Trump has selected two of his criminal defence attorneys, Todd Blanche and Emily Bove, for prominent positions within the Justice Department.
Blanche, who has led three of Trump’s four major criminal case trials, has been nominated for the deputy attorney general position – the department's second-highest role.
Emily Bove, who has also represented Trump, will serve as principal associate deputy attorney general. Trump announced that Bove would temporarily assume the role of acting deputy attorney general while awaiting Blanche’s Senate confirmation.
With the Republican party maintaining control of the Senate, Donald Trump’s plans to overhaul the judiciary appear poised to continue in his second term.
Having already appointed three Supreme Court justices during his first term — key figures in the decision to overturn abortion rights — Trump is likely to make additional appointments, potentially securing a conservative majority for years to come.
Republicans are reportedly preparing for retirements within the Supreme Court, with attention now focused on Justice Samuel Alito, aged 74.
Since taking office in his first term, Donald Trump has reshaped the judiciary by nominating 234 federal judges.
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, Jack Smith, the special counsel overseeing Trump’s federal prosecutions, is reportedly planning to resign.
Smith, who led the investigations into Trump’s alleged role in the January 6th insurrection and the classified documents case, aims to complete his work before Trump is inaugurated.
Jack Smith’s goal is to not leave any significant part of his work for others to complete and to get ahead of the president-elect Donald Trump’s promise to fire him within “two seconds” of being sworn in, reported New York Times.
Trump has long accused Smith, a former war crimes prosecutor, of being part of a "Democratic effort" to "destroy" him through "lawfare."
With Trump’s return to power looming, his legal troubles may be winding down. The US presidential election result effectively closed the door on federal cases against Trump, as Justice Department policy has traditionally shielded sitting presidents from prosecution.
A recent Supreme Court ruling further expanded the scope of presidential immunity, ruling that certain actions by a president, even after leaving office, cannot be prosecuted.
