Nomination sent to Senate — roughly two months after Bondi's ouster; critics question whether a close Trump loyalist can run the Justice Department impartially

Attorney general nominee Todd Blanche. [Reuters]
Attorney general nominee Todd Blanche. [Reuters]

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President Donald Trump on Monday formally nominated Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche — a close confidant and loyalist — to serve as the next US attorney general.

Trump sent the nomination to the Senate that day, the White House website confirmed. The attorney general must be confirmed by the Senate before taking office.

Trump announced on April 2 via his Truth Social platform that Pam Bondi, his first attorney general in the second administration, was returning to the private sector, and named Blanche, then deputy attorney general, as acting head of the department. The nomination removes Blanche's "acting" designation roughly two months after Bondi's departure.

The nomination had been widely anticipated. At a private White House Rose Garden event on June 3, Trump was recorded telling Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino and others involved in the appointment process that he would name Blanche as the new attorney general. Scavino later released the video.

Blanche is one of Trump's closest allies, having served as the president's personal defense attorney when Trump faced criminal indictments during the Joe Biden administration.

Blanche left a major law firm in 2023 to represent Trump personally, gaining national prominence as lead defense counsel in the Manhattan criminal trial over hush-money payments. That case centered on allegations that Trump disguised payments to former adult film actress Stormy Daniels — made to prevent her from going public about a sexual encounter — as legal consulting fees drawn from company funds.

Blanche also served as lead counsel in the case involving Trump's alleged illegal retention of classified defense documents at his Florida home after leaving office. Both cases were resolved in Trump's favor following his 2024 presidential election victory — one ending in an unconditional discharge that acknowledged guilt but imposed no punishment, the other dismissed at prosecutors' request — leaving Trump free of any remaining legal jeopardy.

The decision to place a close personal loyalist in a role that traditionally demands nonpartisan, impartial conduct is expected to draw significant controversy.

The attorney general oversees the FBI and federal prosecutors and has long been regarded as a cabinet position requiring strict neutrality. Whether Blanche can win Senate confirmation will be a central question in Washington in the weeks ahead.

During his time as acting attorney general, Blanche drew sharp criticism from both the Democratic Party and members of the Republican Party after he advanced a proposal for a "judicial victims fund" for Trump supporters who claimed to have suffered under the Biden administration's justice system — in exchange for dropping a $10 billion lawsuit Trump had filed against the Internal Revenue Service.

According to the Associated Press and other outlets, a settlement agreement between Trump and the government related to the fund contained language "permanently prohibiting and precluding" the US government from investigating or prosecuting Trump and his family over tax matters. Blanche was reported to be the signatory on that agreement.

As Republican opposition intensified, Blanche appeared before a House Appropriations subcommittee on June 2 and said, "We are not going to pursue this fund."

Trump sent the formal nomination to the Senate on Monday, the White House confirmed. Blanche cannot be sworn in as attorney general until the Senate votes to confirm him.


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