Doug Collins, John Sauer and Jay Clayton, Trump's new appointments

Donald Trump made a new series of appointments for his new administration. The president-elect continues to fill positions in his impending administration, now selecting Doug Collins, John Sauer and Jay Clayton. They will serve as secretary of Veterans Affairs, solicitor general and U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, respectively.

In the absence of other key positions, such as Treasury secretary and press secretary, Trump announced Collins Sauer and Clayton on Thursday night.

The former, a lawyer and Georgia congressman from 2013 to 2021 will be in charge of the Department of Veterans Affairs. He thanked Trump on social media for the nomination.

"It is an honor to accept Donald Trump's nomination as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Our heroes deserve the best care and support. We will fight tirelessly to streamline and reduce regulations at the VA, root out corruption, and ensure that every veteran receives the benefits they have earned. It's time to deliver for our veterans and give them the world-class care they deserve," he wrote.

John Sauer, a former Trump attorney and Missouri attorney general from 2017 to 2023, was named U.S. solicitor general.

"John is a masterful and highly competent appellate lawyer who clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court, served as Missouri's solicitor general for six years, and has extensive experience practicing before the U.S. Supreme Court and other appellate courts," the president-elect said in the formal announcement.

What does the solicitor general do? According to the Department of Justice website, it "consists of overseeing and directing the Government's litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court." "Virtually all such litigation is channeled through the Office of the Solicitor General and is actively directed by the Office. The United States is involved in approximately two-thirds of all cases the Supreme Court decides on the merits each year," the site states.

Finally, Trump appointed Jay Clayton of New York as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Clayton had already served in the first Trump administration, where he was chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

"Jay is a highly respected business leader, attorney and public servant. Jay holds degrees in engineering and law from the University of Pennsylvania and in economics from Cambridge University," Trump said.