Trump picks Blanche as attorney general

President Donald Trump nominated Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche to fill the position on a permanent basis, rewarding a loyal ally whose controversial actions ensure an uphill Senate confirmation fight.

The White House announced Monday it had sent Blanche’s nomination to the Senate, a move Trump telegraphed last week during remarks at a private event in the Rose Garden. Blanche formerly served as one of Trump’s personal lawyers before the president picked him for the No. 2 position at the Justice Department.

Blanche, who stepped into the nation’s top law enforcement job after Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi in April, has displayed a willingness to deploy the resources of the Justice Department against the president’s perceived political enemies and to help his allies.

Republicans have a 53-47 majority in the Senate, but it’s far from certain that the party would unite behind Blanche. Some GOP senators are facing tough reelection fights. Others are ready to defy Trump because they are not seeking reelection, in two cases due to losing primaries to Trump-backed opponents.

Blanche, 51, set off what’s widely seen as the first major Republican pushback to the administration with a plan to create a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponisation” fund to compensate those who claim they were unfairly victimised by the government, potentially including January 6, 2021, Capitol rioters.

Todd Blanche

Facing intense bipartisan opposition, Blanche recently told lawmakers the department won’t go forward with the fund. But Trump later expressed interest in reviving the fund, calling it “a great idea” in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press that aired Sunday.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who was critical of the anti-weaponisation fund, told reporters it was “hard to say” whether Blanche would face difficulty getting confirmed. “This is an environment where nothing is a safe or sure bet,” said Thune of South Dakota.

Blanche said Thursday he was “honored and humbled” that the president was planning to nominate him. He said he planned to work with senators to address their concerns.

“I have a good relationship with the Senate on both sides,” Blanche said. “I don’t say no to phone calls.”

Few, if any, Democrats are expected to support Blanche’s nomination. Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer, Blanche was a controversial figure even before the anti-weaponisation fund.

He’s been involved in several criminal investigations and prosecutions of the president’s perceived political enemies. That includes a recent indictment of former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey for allegedly threatening the life of Trump, who is the 47th president, with a social media photo of seashells arranged as the numbers “86” and “47.”

As deputy attorney general, Blanche faced criticism over his handling of the Justice Department’s compliance with a law requiring disclosure of all documents relating to the late accused sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Blanche also conducted a highly unusual personal meeting with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.

For his nomination to even advance from the Judiciary Committee to a full Senate vote, Blanche will have to win over skeptical Republican committee members like North Carolina’s Thom Tillis, who is not running for reelection.

Tillis harshly criticised the anti-weaponisation fund and has threatened to block any pick for attorney general who has spoken positively about January 6 rioters.

John Cornyn of Texas, who just lost a primary in which Trump backed his opponent, also sits on the key panel and would similarly hold what amounts to veto power.

A onetime federal prosecutor and former partner at law firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, Blanche led the defense at the New York trial at which Trump was convicted of falsifying records to conceal hush-money payments to a porn star.

Blanche also served on the defense team that fought Special Counsel Jack Smith’s criminal cases over Trump’s efforts to try to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents after he left the White House.

Both of Smith’s prosecutions were dropped after Trump won the 2024 election.

Breaking with the Justice Department’s tradition of independence, Blanche said during his first press conference as acting attorney general in early April that the president has the “right” and “duty” to identify who should be investigated.

Blanche also said he didn’t believe the Justice Department under Trump was carrying out unjustified actions to investigate and prosecute the president’s perceived enemies.

© 2026 Bloomberg