Former Republican challenger likely to become secretary of state as further developments expected in Trump’s legal battles
Trump poised to appoint Rubio; judge decides whether to overturn criminal conviction
Good morning, and welcome to our US politics blog.
US President-elect Donald Trump announced several new members of his incoming administration on Monday, and is reportedly expected to name Marco Rubio – a one time challenger in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries – as secretary of state.
It comes as justice Juan Merchan, a New York judge, is set to decide later today whether Trump’s criminal conviction on charges involving hush money paid to a porn star should be overturned in light of the US Supreme Court’s July ruling on presidential immunity.
Meanwhile, officials at the US justice department are assessing how to wind down the two federal criminal cases brought against Trump by special counsel Jack Smith due to its longstanding policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
A separate case in Georgia involving state criminal charges concerning Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss remains in limbo.
We will give you more on the developments in the legal cases Trump faces when news breaks throughout the day.
Here are the main political appointments Trump has already made or is expected to announce shortly:
The New York Times reports that Trump is expected to name Florida senator Marco Rubio his secretary of state.
