According to a Friday analysis by Politico, President Donald Trump has tapped at least 10 of his former personal lawyers for top roles in administration or for nomination to the federal bench since returning to office in January 2025.

The report outlines what critics describe to Politico as an unusually direct pipeline from Trump’s private legal team to powerful government posts — including lifetime judicial appointments.

Among the most prominent examples is Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously served as deputy attorney general after representing Trump in his Manhattan hush money criminal trial and other cases.

Several others have landed influential roles or nominations. Solicitor General John Sauer argued Trump’s presidential immunity case before joining the administration. Attorney Matthew Schwartz, who worked on Trump’s hush money appeal, has been nominated to the Second Circuit, while Emil Bove — another former defense lawyer — now sits on the Third Circuit.

The list extends well beyond those more high-profile names. Justin Smith, who represented Trump in his ongoing appeal to overturn the jury verdicts in the E. Jean Carroll lawsuits for sexual abuse and defamation, has been nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, and former Trump attorneys Michael Talent and Kendra Wharton have also held roles in the DOJ. Meanwhile, Will Scharf serves at White House Staff Secretary.

Others, including Alina Habba and Lindsey Halligan, cycled through senior posts after personally representing Trump.

“It’s problematic because the officers of the DOJ are expected to administer the law for the benefit of the United States, not for the benefit of the president,” NYU law professor Stephen Gillers told Politico. “The president doesn’t own DOJ, it’s not his law firm.”

The White House pushed back in a statement to Politico, with spokesperson Abigail Jackson saying, “all of Trump’s nominees are eminently qualified to serve in the positions they have been nominated for.”

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