President Donald Trump signaled Wednesday that he will nominate acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, his former defense lawyer, to a permanent seat at the Justice Department. The announcement, shared in a closed Rose Garden video posted by adviser Dan Scavino, follows a pattern of installing loyalists in senior roles. A formal nomination would cement Blanche’s rise from interim to confirmed chief as DOJ faces lawsuits.

Senate Republicans are likely to mount a bruising confirmation fight, given Blanche’s record on the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and his approval of prosecutions targeting Trump critics. Lawmakers also scrutinize his support for a $1.8 billion taxpayer‑funded pool intended to compensate allies who claim political persecution, and public scrutiny intensifies. The controversy could stall other administration priorities.

At the same time Trump installed Bill Pulte, a Federal Housing Finance Agency chief with no intelligence background, as acting director of national intelligence. Pulte’s aggressive stance on probing Democratic opponents has already prompted Democrats to threaten a hold on a key surveillance‑program reauthorization. Together, the two appointments underscore an administration willing to risk legislative gridlock to reward loyal operatives and further polarizes Washington.