White House says some employees were fired by mistake

Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump's top defense attorney in several of the criminal cases brought against him, was pressed repeatedly Wednesday by Democratic lawmakers concerned about whether he can maintain independence if confirmed as the nation's No. 2 law enforcement official.

In Blanche's confirmation hearing to be the next deputy attorney general, Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, referencing a memo issued by Attorney General Pam Bondi that described Justice Department attorneys as "lawyers" for the president, asked Blanche, "Is the deputy attorney general the president's lawyer?"

"No," Blanche replied.

Sen. Adam Schiff, however, confirmed that even as Blanche sat before the committee, he maintains an active attorney-client relationship with Trump -- albeit not representing him in any specific ongoing matters.

When pressed over whether he'd recuse himself from any investigations previously tied to his representation of Trump, Blanche would only commit to following DOJ "rules" and said he would seek input from career officials before making any final determinations.

-ABC News' Alexander Mallin

In the Oval Office, President Donald Trump suggested he will sign an executive order on reciprocal tariffs by Thursday.

"In fact, I may do it today. And if I do it today, I could almost do it right now," he laughed, before saying he does not want to take away from Gabbard's day.

"I may do it later on, or I may do it tomorrow morning. But we'll be signing reciprocal tariffs," he promised.

"The world has taken advantage of the United States for many years. They've charged massive tariffs, and we haven't charged them," he said, touting his steel and aluminum tariffs that he said will "level the playing field."

Following her confirmation by the Senate, Tulsi Gabbard was sworn in as director of national intelligence in the Oval Office Wednesday evening.

She and her husband, Abraham Williams, were spotted hugging prior to her being sworn in.

"There's nobody like her for this job. This was a very easy one for me," Trump said regarding his pick.

After expressing her gratitude to the president, Gabbard said she looks forward to working to "refocus our intelligence community by empowering the great patriots who have chosen to serve our country in this way and focus on ensuring the safety, security and freedom of the American people."

In the Oval Office, Trump told reporters that he and Putin may meet in "probably" Saudi Arabia. Though the date has not been set, Trump said it will happen soon.

He added that their conversation was a "good call" that lasted "over an hour."

Trump added he will "think about" going to Ukraine and that his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was "very good."