President Trump announced Wednesday that he will nominate Todd Blanche, his former personal attorney, to serve as permanent attorney general after Blanche has been leading the Justice Department in an acting capacity.
Blanche moved swiftly to position himself for the permanent role following Pam Bondi’s firing in April, ramping up investigations into Trump’s perceived political opponents and announcing a nearly $1.8 billion fund intended to compensate the president’s allies for alleged political persecution — a proposal that sparked a bipartisan backlash and was ultimately scrapped.
Blanche had been brought into the Justice Department as deputy attorney general before being elevated following Bondi’s ouster over her failure to prosecute Trump’s critics.
Among the Justice Department’s most controversial moves under Blanche was the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey over a social media photo of beach seashells that officials claimed constituted a threat to the president. Comey has condemned the case as politically motivated. Blanche also appointed an 81-year-old former Reagan-era prosecutor to oversee a Florida investigation into whether law enforcement officials conspired over the past decade to undermine Trump.
A former federal prosecutor in New York, Blanche gained public prominence representing Trump during the hush money trial, an experience he says gave him firsthand exposure to what he views as the weaponization of the justice system against Trump.
His confirmation will require Senate approval, where the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” controversy has already cost him goodwill among Republican senators.
