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Who Is Todd Blanche, the New Acting Attorney General
Todd Blanche is the new Acting Attorney General after the ousting of Pam Bondi. He is a former Democrat, now disliked by Democrats.
According to the independent conservative news outlet AFPost, multiple current Trump administration officials with access to Pam Bondi:
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who was just named Acting Attorney General, has been the main roadblock holding up prosecutions of former Biden officials, state-level politicians, and Antifa terrorists. Todd Blanche personally shut down the DOJ’s “weaponization” task force and is responsible for sidelining Ed Martin. Todd Blanche sees himself as a “principled” conservative and views investigations of Trump enemies like Jack Smith as an “abuse of power.” He has privately told staff that he will not “stoop to that level.” Under Todd Blanche, the failure of the DOJ to investigate left-wing terrorists and former officials who prosecuted President Trump will only get worse.
The far-left New York Times writes:
Mr. Blanche, 51, brings a mixed record to the job. He has spent the past year or so enabling the wholesale politicization of the Justice Department and losing the trust of many federal judges while still serving as a last-ditch bulwark against the president’s most extreme attempts to seek vengeance against his enemies.
He has overseen the destruction of the department’s traditional norms of independence from the White House, often treating Mr. Trump not as a chief executive who could benefit from his legal advice but rather as a loudmouthed client whose orders must be followed.
At the same time, he has on occasion shown himself to be loyal to his roots as a former federal prosecutor trained in the Southern District of New York. He has held off some of the president’s most impulsive efforts to open criminal cases unsupported by the evidence.
The Washington Examiner:
Trump called the deputy a “very talented and respected Legal Mind,” and former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who was once being considered as Trump’s second-term attorney general, similarly complimented the experienced attorney as he moves into the new role.
“Todd Blanche left his comfortable job at a major firm to defend President Trump against horrendous lawfare,” Gaetz posted on X Wednesday afternoon. “He has shown moral courage, strength, and exquisite legal talent. Todd will do a great job for the Trump/Vance Administration and us all.”
Top congressional Democrats, such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), were ecstatic about the embattled attorney general’s departure. The lawmakers, however, did not express their thoughts on Blanche assuming the role, although they are likely skeptical of him, given his close work with Bondi.
Law professor Jonathan Turley is optimistic that the transition between the two leaders will be smooth.
“The move to Blanche will be seamless,” Turley said on social media. “He has not only been serving with Bondi, but he is also an experienced and distinguished lawyer. He has been a partner in a world-class law firm as well as a successful prosecutor in the leading U.S. Attorney’s office in the SDNY.”
The Hill:
Once a registered Democrat in New York, Blanche has long expressed agreement with Trump that the justice system was treating him unfairly. He later became a registered Republican in Florida and even attended the 2024 Republican National Convention.
[Blanche had to leave his law firm to defend President Trump.]
The Senate confirmed Blanche in a 52-46 party-line vote. Democrats refused to vote for him over concerns he’d help the president “weaponize” the department.
Since joining the administration, Blanche has been part of massive reworkings of the Justice Department, including its purges of prosecutors who worked in Smith’s special counsel office and other Jan. 6 prosecutions.
“There is not a single man or woman at the Department of Justice who had anything to do with those prosecutions,” Blanche boasted last month at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
The Dallas Express:
Blanche, who the Senate confirmed in March 2025 as Deputy Attorney General, brings a background that includes more than eight years at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and stints at major law firms. He also previously represented former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort in a New York fraud case.
His rise within Trump’s orbit marked a notable political shift. As recently as 2024, Blanche had been a registered Democrat before switching parties while representing Trump in multiple legal matters, a career move that involved leaving a prominent law firm partnership to defend the then-former president, according to The New York Times.
Blanche’s record at the Justice Department signals a focus on aggressive immigration enforcement.
In a March 6, 2025, memorandum to department employees, Blanche emphasized that U.S. attorneys’ offices are “on the front lines” of combating illegal immigration, cartels, and transnational criminal organizations. The memo directed prosecutors, particularly in border districts such as Texas, to prioritize cases involving illegal entry, firearm possession by noncitizens, and obstruction of immigration enforcement, while also encouraging the use of terrorism-related charges against groups tied to cartel activity.
On the politically sensitive Epstein files, Blanche has defended the administration’s approach to releasing documents. He said previously that redactions and delays were necessary “to protect victims,” while rejecting accusations that the administration was withholding information for other reasons, according to remarks reported by PBS.
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