Blanche is likely to face an uncertain confirmation battle in the Senate.
President Donald Trump on Monday formally nominated acting attorney general Todd Blanche for a full term as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, kicking off what is likely to become a contentious and uncertain battle in the Senate to confirm him.
Read more Liberal council member advances to runoff with Bass in Los Angeles mayor’s race
Blanche, Trump’s former personal defense lawyer, has temporarily served as head of the Justice Department since the president’s decision to fire former attorney general Pam Bondi in April. In just over two months on the job, he has moved aggressively to steer the typically independent department toward Trump’s demands and, at times in doing so, drawn bipartisan criticism from lawmakers.
After Trump previewed his intention to nominate Blanche at a dinner last week, two prominent Republicans — Sens. Thom Tillis (North Carolina) and John Cornyn (Texas) — said they still had questions they needed answered before they would support the acting attorney general for a full-time stint in the job. And Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) offered only a hesitant prediction on whether Blanche would make it through the confirmation process.
“Most of our members are pretty deferential to who the president wants in some of those key positions. And he’s obviously serving in the role already and clearly has experience in it. So, that’ll serve him well,” Thune told reporters last week. “But this is an environment where nothing’s a safe or sure bet.”
Without support from Democrats, Republicans can only afford to lose three votes under the current Senate makeup and still have the number needed to approve Blanche’s nomination with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie.
And just weeks ago, Blanche faced open revolt from some Republicans as he unsuccessfully sought to defend a deal struck to settle Trump’s outstanding legal claims against the government with the creation of a $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who believe they have been victims of politicized prosecutions. Lawmakers expressed concern over Blanche’s refusal to rule out that some of that money could go to those who violently attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
In the face of that backlash, Blanche returned to Capitol Hill last week to announce that plans for the fund were dead.
Still, he vigorously defended a separate element of that settlement deal which will shield Trump, his family members and affiliated entities from past tax claims — a potentially lucrative deal for a president who has frequently complained about IRS audits of his personal tax returns. Democrats and some Republicans have sharply criticized that provision of the settlement as corrupt. Blanche has defended that part of the deal as a routine provision of settlements with the IRS.
Blanche has also emerged as the Justice Department’s central defender as some Republicans have soured on its handling of the public release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In testimony before a House committee last month, Bondi repeatedly sought to shift responsibility for that rollout to Blanche, to whom she said she had delegated the job.
Democrats, meanwhile, have assailed Blanche for his role in the department’s pursuit of prosecuting Trump’s political rivals, including former FBI director James B. Comey. They’ve accused him of continuing to act as if he is Trump’s personal attorney even in his government role.
Read more Trump’s grip on the GOP leaves Netanyahu with few places to turn
“At every turn, Todd Blanche has been unable to put aside his role as Donald Trump’s criminal defense lawyer and represent the American people instead,” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California) said in a statement Monday. “He has allowed the President to abuse the Department of Justice to go after his political enemies … engaged in the most blatant self-dealing by representing both Trump and his government in an IRS scam, and blessed a corrupt slush fund for cop beaters.”
Still, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which must approve Blanche’s nomination before it can reach a full Senate vote, said Monday he will support the acting attorney general and predicted a swift confirmation process.
“I’ve worked well with Acting Attorney General Blanche for more than a year and appreciate his commitment to transparency and support for law enforcement,” Grassley said in a statement. “Blanche is well-qualified and has shown his dedication to restoring law and order across our country.”
Before his current stint at the Justice Department, Blanche represented Trump in his 2024 New York trial, which ended with his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to an adult-film actress.
He also led Trump’s defense in the two federal felony cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith — the first over his alleged retention of classified documents and the second over his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss. Neither of those cases made it to trial.
Blanche also has worked as a federal prosecutor in New York. In 2025, he was confirmed as deputy attorney general.
Speaking to reporters last week, Blanche said he was “honored and humbled” by the president’s decision to nominate him as attorney general.
“I’m looking forward to working with the senators and getting them the information they need,” he said.
Read more Peter Laviolette will be the LA Kings’ next head coach, AP source says
Theodoric Meyer contributed to this report.
