Trump doubled down on choosing his former personal lawyer as the nation’s top lawman, calling him “a STAR” and saying he will keep him in the role as acting attorney general until Republican Sens. The Senate Judiciary Committee was forced to scrap a planned vote for Thursday to advance Blanche’s nomination after the Justice Department and the Republican senators failed to reach a resolution despite hours of negotiations. Through it would be politically embarrassing for the Trump administration, pulling Blanche’s nomination would likely have little practical impact on the management of the Justice Department. Blanche can still lead the department as either acting attorney general or deputy attorney general, the No. The deputy attorney general, who runs the day-to-day operations of the law enforcement agency, is able to perform the duties of the attorney general if that post is vacant.