If all are confirmed, they will report on Trump’s pick for US attorney general, Matt Gaetz, a conservative who has been a staunch supporter of the president-elect.

While Trump’s lawyers have a more traditional background than Gaetz, Trump’s stated intentions to remake the department to go after the “enemy within,” along with the nominations, have raised questions among lawyers about the future of the Justice Department.

“It’s a pretty clear signal that he’s moving the Justice Department in the direction of loyalty to him, rather than independence, which has been the tradition until now,” said Rebecca Roiphe, a professor at New York Law School.

The three attorneys proved to be creative and consistent advocates for Trump as he fought four separate criminal charges last year.

Trump announced that Blanche would be in charge of “fixing what has been a broken justice system for far too long.”

Both Mr. Blanche and Mr. Bove have previous experience in the Department of Justice, working their way through what is arguably the most prestigious jurisdiction: the Southern District of New York.

Mr. Blanche rose to head violent crimes at the SDNY, before moving on to the prestigious WilmerHale law firm, then striking out on his own – only to fight America’s most notorious defendant.

“They certainly have relevant experience, certainly prosecutorial experience,” said Jonathan Nash, a professor at Emory School of Law. Mr. Blanche, he added, would have managerial experience from his time at the SDNY, an asset for a deputy attorney general.

Mr. Blanche adopted some of Trump’s bombastic stances during the New York criminal trial earlier this year, openly attacking the character of witnesses and repeatedly fighting with the judge. Some experts believe these tactics may have contributed to Trump’s loss.

But within days, Mr. Blanche could secure his biggest victory yet: overturning the only criminal conviction against Trump in his hush money trial. He and Mr Bove argued Trump’s New York conviction should be overturned.

As U.S. Solicitor General, Mr. Sauer would represent the government in U.S. Supreme Court cases. He previously served as Missouri’s attorney general, and legal experts said that made him an unsurprising choice.

Sauer has already secured a major victory for Trump before the nation’s highest court as Trump sought to block federal prosecution of his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Mr. Sauer successfully argued to the Supreme Court that presidents should have immunity from prosecution for certain “official acts” while in office.

More recently, Mr. Sauer argued before a New York appeals court that Trump’s nine-figure fine in a civil fraud lawsuit should be thrown out. The court has not yet issued a decision.

It is not unheard of for US presidents to appoint close legal allies to the Justice Department and other judicial posts.

President John F Kennedy appointed his brother, Robert F Kennedy, US Attorney General in the 1960s. President Lyndon B Johnson chose his former attorney Abe Fortas for the US Supreme Court.

However, since the Watergate era, the Justice Department has sought to position itself as independent of the president.

But Trump tested that norm. During his first term, he fired one attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for recusing himself from an investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The second, William Barr, resigned after rejecting Trump’s false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 elections.

While Mr. Blanche, Mr. Bove and Mr. Sauer might be easier choices, Trump’s decision to nominate Gaetz — who had a House ethics investigation hanging over his head — sent the clearest message.

“Trump is coming in, especially in this second term, as someone who wants to drain the swamp, shake things up and bring in an outsider’s perspective,” Mr. Nash said.