Donald Trump nominated Todd Blanche as attorney general on Monday, elevating his former personal lawyer to the country's top law enforcement post. Blanche has served in an acting capacity since April, when Trump removed Pam Bondi from the role following controversy over her handling of Epstein-related documents.
The nomination requires Senate confirmation, where Republicans hold the majority. Blanche represented Trump in multiple legal battles, including the New York hush-money case in which the president was convicted on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records. He also defended Trump in the federal classified documents matter and election obstruction cases, both of which stalled following Trump's electoral victory.
Since taking the acting role, Blanche has pursued an aggressive agenda centered on what the department describes as reversing supposed weaponization of federal law enforcement. Under his leadership, prosecutors have brought charges against former FBI director James Comey, escalated investigations into ex-CIA director John Brennan, and removed press releases related to prosecutions of January 6 Capitol rioters.
Democrats have seized on Blanche's close relationship with Trump as evidence of improper influence. During Senate hearings, Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen pointed to Blanche's handling of Epstein documents, noting that the acting attorney general had interviewed Trump associate Ghislaine Maxwell before she was transferred to a lower security facility with special privileges.
"You are still acting as the president's personal lawyer, not as acting attorney general," Van Hollen said at the hearing.
Blanche's tenure has also been marked by controversial policy moves that have drawn criticism from lawmakers of both parties. The justice department under his leadership drafted a memo granting Trump, his children, and the Trump Organization permanent immunity from tax audits and prosecution for past tax offenses. The department simultaneously pursued creation of a secretive $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies, framed as settlements for what officials call past weaponization of the justice system.
Connecticut Representative Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat, condemned the arrangement during House appropriations hearings. "When you preside over a deal to take $1.8 billion of taxpayer money to create a slush fund to pay out violent criminals who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers, you cannot be surprised when people question your impartiality," she said.
Even some Republicans objected to the compensation fund. Pennsylvania Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, who faces a tough reelection, drafted bipartisan legislation to block the fund's creation. The dispute threatened to complicate Senate passage of ICE and homeland security funding last week, with lawmakers clashing over language to bar the fund's operation.
Under mounting pressure, Blanche announced abruptly on Tuesday that the fund had been cancelled. The move did little to quell concerns about the direction of the justice department under his leadership or his potential confirmation prospects in the Senate.
Author James Rodriguez: "Blanche's track record as Trump's lawyer-turned-law-enforcer suggests the department is now an extension of the president's personal interests, not an independent arbiter of justice."
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