Defense lawyers had questioned whether Alina Habba, a Trump loyalist, was legally authorized to run the U.S. attorney’s office in New Jersey.

President Trump has few sources of independent advice just as he is trying to broker an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, perhaps the trickiest negotiation of his presidency.

The secretary’s requirement that she personally approve any expense over $100,000 has created a backlog of “mission critical” contracts, records show.