Trump Nominates Todd Blanche as Permanent Attorney General

US President Donald Trump on Monday officially nominated Todd Blanche, his former personal lawyer, to serve as Attorney General—the head of the nation's top law enforcement agency.

Blanche has been serving as acting Attorney General since predecessor Pam Bondi was dismissed on April 2, a role he has held for roughly 67 days. Under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, temporary appointments are generally limited to a maximum of 210 days. Nominating a permanent candidate could legally allow Trump to extend the acting tenure beyond that limit.

The nomination is likely to lead to a tense confirmation hearing in the Senate. This would not be Blanche's first time facing Senate scrutiny. Last March, he was confirmed as Deputy Attorney General by a party-line vote of 52–46, with all Democrats opposed. Republicans currently hold a narrow 53-seat majority in the 100-member chamber.

However, the past year has raised fresh questions about Blanche's ability to lead the Justice Department, which oversees federal investigations, prosecutions, and prison systems. Although confirmation requires only a simple majority, there are concerns that Blanche's acting tenure may have already divided Republicans internally.

From private lawyer to government

Blanche entered Trump's inner circle in 2023, when Trump faced four criminal indictments. One involved allegations that Trump paid hush money to former adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump was ultimately convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records—the first time in US history a president was found guilty of a crime, though he faced no jail time or fine.

Blanche was part of Trump's defense team in that trial. He was among a handful of Trump's personal lawyers who joined the second-term administration, alongside Emil Bove (now an appellate judge) and Lindsey Halligan (who briefly served as acting federal prosecutor).

Since Trump began his second term in January 2025, there have been concerns that the Justice Department has lost independence in its prosecutorial work. Blanche has been central to some of those worries. As Deputy Attorney General, he was involved in many of the Justice Department's most controversial moments over the past year.

Last July, Blanche personally interviewed sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell about the investigation of her former associate Jeffrey Epstein. The interview was seen as an effort to defuse criticism about what powerful figures like Trump knew about Epstein's trafficking ring. After Maxwell testified that Trump had done nothing wrong, she was transferred to a low-security prison in Texas, sparking outrage. Anger over the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files is believed to have contributed to Bondi's abrupt departure.

Republican divisions

Since replacing Bondi, Blanche has continued to draw bipartisan criticism. Last month, he was a key architect of a controversial settlement ending a $10 billion lawsuit Trump had filed against the Internal Revenue Service. The deal waived Trump and his family from all future IRS tax audits and created a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund.

Trump uses the term "weaponization" to describe prosecutions against his supporters, including those who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021. During congressional testimony, Blanche refused to rule out using the fund to compensate participants in the January 6 event who had assaulted police. He later told a House committee the fund would "not proceed" after a bipartisan backlash.

Since Blanche became acting Attorney General, the Justice Department has also filed a controversial second indictment against former FBI Director James Comey, a Trump critic. Critics have denounced it as an attack on First Amendment free-speech rights.

As news of the nomination spread, Democratic lawmakers called on the Senate to reject it. Xavier Becerra, the leading Democratic candidate in California's gubernatorial race, said: "Todd Blanche doesn't work for the American people. He works for one man."

Meanwhile, Senate Republican leadership rallied support. Senator Chuck Grassley wrote: "I've worked well with Acting Attorney General Blanche for over a year and appreciate his commitment to transparency and law enforcement support."

However, it remains to be seen whether some Republican critics in the Senate will follow party leadership. Outgoing Senator Thom Tillis has called on Blanche to condemn the January 6 protesters who attacked police as a condition for his confirmation vote.