Trump nominates Todd Blanche to serve permanently as attorney general
Source: The Guardian
Mon 8 Jun 2026 15.49 EDT
Last modified on Mon 8 Jun 2026 15.50 EDT
Donald Trump has nominated Todd Blanche to serve permanently as attorney general, lining up his former personal lawyer to be the countrys top law enforcement officer.
The US president suggested earlier this week that Blanche, who was appointed on an acting basis in April after the president fired Pam Bondi, was set to receive the nod. Hes a very talented guy, Trump told a podcast.
Under Blanche a staunch ally of Trump the US Department of Justice has pursued a series of controversial actions, including the unveiling of criminal charges against James Comey, the former FBI director, representing an escalation of its investigation into former CIA director, John Brennan, and the removal of press releases about prosecutions of rioters who attacked the US Capitol on January 6.
Blanche also played a key role in the effort to create a $1.8bn secretive fund to compensate Trumps allies. On Tuesday, he abruptly announced the fund had been axed, amid widespread condemnation of the plan. The appointment will require confirmation in the US Senate, where even Republicans pushed back against the proposed fund.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/08/trump-nominates-todd-blanche-attorney-general
bucolic_frolic
(56,157 posts)but I'm not thinking about an office.
Gore1FL
(22,996 posts)I cant imagine there are 50 republicans ready to support a nomination that will tie them to the 1.776 billion dollar grift.
rurallib
(64,895 posts)Donnie asshole puts his party in jeopardy once more
FakeNoose
(42,794 posts)BumRushDaShow
(172,927 posts)and Blanche is many levels below that type of sophistication.
(ETA he is probably closer to being an Ed Meese type)
LetMyPeopleVote
(183,279 posts)Blanche has made it clear that he doesnt want to be the American peoples attorney general; he wants to be Trumps attorney general.
Trump has clashed with so many AGs (Bondi, Barr, Sessions, Yates). Why is Blanche different? They agree on what an AG should be: part puppet, part weapon, and part cheerleader.
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-06-09T17:40:46.759Z
Blanche doesnât want to be our attorney general; he wants to be Trumpâs attorney general. Those are 2 very different jobs.
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-attorney-general-awful-job-blanche
President Donald Trump on Monday formally nominated his longtime loyalist and former personal defense lawyer Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general permanently.
Blanche has been serving as the nations top prosecutor in an acting capacity after Pam Bondi was fired by Trump in April. Blanche was Bondis deputy at the time. The nomination has been sent to the Senate.
Since becoming the acting attorney general, Blanche went to almost cartoonish lengths to use his office in ways designed to please the White House, up to and including indicting people the president doesnt like. Trump, not surprisingly, was delighted. Whether senators are equally impressed remains to be seen, though theres no reason to assume that his confirmation will be easy.
Stepping back, however, theres the related question of why Blanche actually wants this job.....
The president, in other words, expects an attorney general whos part puppet, part weapon and part cheerleader. Those serious about the rule of law and apolitical ethical limits need not apply.
Ive seen some analyses that have described the office under Trump as an impossible job, largely because no one can be quite pathetic enough to satiate all of the presidents whims and demands. Its a fair point, to be sure, but thats what makes Blanches nomination inherently interesting: He, unlike guys such as Sessions and Barr, doesnt actually want to lead the DOJ or oversee federal law enforcement; Blanche simply wants to serve Trump.
In other words, Blanche might very well be the first and only attorney general Trump actually gets along with because he and the president share a common view of the office. By tradition, those in this role strive to be the peoples lawyer. The presidents new nominee has no such ambitions: His goal is to serve one American, not 340 million Americans.
Blanche has made it abundantly clear that he doesnt want to be the American peoples attorney general; he wants to be Trumps attorney general. Is it any wonder why the president is optimistic about his choice?
I believe that Blanche will be disbarred. Blanche and the DOJ want to strip State Bar Associations of jurisdiction of trump stooges. That is not going to work
LetMyPeopleVote
(183,279 posts)In the ruling dismissing Kilmar Abrego Garcias indictment as vindictive, the judge deemed Blanches investigation tainted.
One word in a judgeâs opinion sums up why Todd Blanche shouldnât be attorney general
— US News Now - Worldâs leading Liberal Voice (@democracyblue.bsky.social) 2026-06-10T13:56:45.465Z
In the ruling dismissing Kilmar Abrego Garciaâs indictment as vindictive, the judge deemed Blancheâs investigation âtainted.â www.ms.now/deadline-whi...
https://www.ms.now/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/why-todd-blanche-not-attorney-general
One way to view the nominee is through a single word: tainted.
Thats how a judge described Blanches investigation into Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who became a prime target of the administrations crudely incompetent deportation regime last year. The Trump-controlled government illegally sent Abrego to El Salvador in violation of a court order, then resisted additional court orders for his return, and then finally secured his return but only to greet him with an indictment that a judge recently dismissed as unconstitutionally vindictive.
Its rare for judges to grant vindictive prosecution motions, but the actions of Blanche and his colleagues made it possible. Indeed, U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw emphasized that he didnt reach the conclusion lightly in his ruling last month.
But in dismissing the charges of illegally transporting undocumented immigrants, to which Abrego had pleaded not guilty, Crenshaw wrote that absent Abregos successful lawsuit challenging his removal to El Salvador, the Government would not have brought this prosecution. The Obama-appointed judge recalled that the government had closed its investigation into the Tennessee traffic stop at the center of the case in 2022. It was only reopened after Abrego succeeded in vindicating his right to remedy his illegal removal.....
In fact, Crenshaws dismissal ruling was only made possible by his previous finding that Abrego could proceed with discovery into potential vindictiveness. Blanche played a starring role in that incremental ruling last year, where Crenshaw wrote, Deputy Attorney General Blanches remarkable statements could directly establish that the motivations for Abregos criminal charges stem from his exercise of his constitutional and statutory rights to bring suit against the Executive Official Defendants, rather than a genuine desire to prosecute him for alleged criminal misconduct.
Therefore, Blanche has not only acted as an instrument for Trumps revenge but has done so in a manner that has thwarted that revenges success. To be sure, Blanche is a competent attorney, but he has chosen what might be termed a tainted path. If the GOP-controlled Senate confirms him to the top job full time, then a microscopically dim silver lining could be that his continued service to Trump will result in further fumbles.
Blanche is a disgrace to the legal profession. I personally believe that Blanche will be disbarred or severely sanctioned for his actions. Blanche should not be confirmed at Attorney General
eringer
(557 posts)Anyone crossing Trump becomes a candidate for the electric chair without a wet sponge.
MAGAmania.
bluestarone
(22,503 posts)TSF can murder anyone at any time. Who would stop that?