President Donald Trump on Monday formally nominated Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general.
Trump submitted Blanche's name to the U.S. Senate, the White House said, days after committing to nominating him. He has been serving as acting attorney general since April.
Blanche, 51, took over leadership of the Justice Department after Pam Bondi was out as attorney general in April.
Blanche, who served as Bondi's top deputy, previously defended Trump in three of the four criminal cases he faced in his years out of office.
Blanche is a former federal prosecutor in New York who had little involvement in politics prior to his representation of Trump.
Reuters contributed to this report.