Todd Blanche, attorney for President-elect Donald Trump leaves court

Deputy attorney general Todd Blanche, who defended Trump in hush money trial, named acting Librarian of Congress

NEW YORK (AP) — Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who represented Donald Trump during his 2024 criminal trial, has been appointed acting Librarian of Congress, the Justice Department said Monday.

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Blanche replaces longtime librarian Carla Hayden, whom the White House fired last week amid criticism from some conservatives that she was advancing a “woke” agenda. She was nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama in 2015.

Blanche was named the number two Justice Department official after serving as a criminal defense attorney defending Trump against two cases brought by the Justice Department during the Biden administration. Blanche is a former federal prosecutor who was a key figure on Trump’s defense team in his New York hush money trial, which ended in a conviction on 34 felony counts.

Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim, Alanna Durkin Richer and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

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