President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he plans to nominate acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to permanently lead the Department of Justice, elevating one of his closest legal allies to one of the most powerful positions in government.
Speaking at a White House event in the Rose Garden, Trump said he would begin the formal nomination process on Thursday. Earlier this week, he signaled the move during an interview with Pod Force One.
“I wanted to see how he’s received, you know, we put him as acting, and he’s done a very good job, but I’ve known him a long time,” Trump said.
If confirmed by the Senate, Blanche would take over the Justice Department after serving several months as acting attorney general. Before that, he was deputy attorney general—and before that, Trump’s personal attorney.
Blanche represented Trump during the New York hush-money case that resulted in the president’s conviction on 34 felony counts in 2024. Despite that conviction, Trump returned to the White House less than six months later after winning reelection.
The nomination comes at a turbulent moment for Blanche. According to ABC News, he recently found himself defending the administration’s controversial $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” a proposal that faced backlash from lawmakers in both parties. After weeks of criticism, Blanche told Congress on Tuesday that the Justice Department was “not moving forward with the fund.”
The issue appears far from settled, however. When reporters asked Trump on Wednesday whether the plan was dead, he responded, “I’d have to ask the lawyers. I don’t know.” He then added, “The weaponization fund, as far as I’m concerned, was a beautiful thing.”
Blanche has also drawn attention for overseeing the Justice Department’s indictment of former FBI Director James Comey over a social media post prosecutors claimed threatened the president.
Meanwhile, questions remain about how smooth Blanche’s confirmation path will be. Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority, but some GOP senators have expressed concerns about recent Justice Department controversies, potentially setting up a contentious confirmation battle.
As Mediaite noted, Blanche also made headlines last year when he personally interviewed convicted Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. According to reports, Maxwell told Blanche she had never witnessed Trump engage in illegal conduct during her time around Epstein. Following the interview, the Justice Department later transferred Maxwell to a lower-security federal facility.
For Trump, the nomination is another sign that loyalty remains a key qualification for top administration posts. For Blanche, it could mark the final step from personal attorney to the nation’s chief law enforcement officer.
