Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Tuesday he would be willing to take on the role permanently if President Trump asks—underscoring the uncertainty still surrounding the Justice Department just days after Pam Bondi’s abrupt removal.
Speaking at a press conference announcing a new National Fraud Enforcement Division, Blanche acknowledged the unusual moment: he is now leading the department while Bondi’s portrait still hangs on the walls—and he still plans to appear alongside her at a previously scheduled event Wednesday.
“I did not ask for this job,” Blanche told reporters. “I love working for President Trump. It’s the greatest honor of a lifetime, and if President Trump chooses to keep me as acting, that’s an honor. If he chooses to nominate me, that’s an honor. If he chooses to nominate somebody else and I go back to being the [Deputy Attorney General], that’s an honor. If he chooses to nominate somebody else and asks me to go do something else, I will say, ‘thank you very much, I love you, sir.’”
Blanche’s comments offer the clearest signal yet that he could be a contender for the permanent role, even as the White House has not indicated who—if anyone—Trump plans to nominate.
Bondi’s ouster last week marked the most significant personnel shakeup of Trump’s second term so far. According to prior reporting, the president had grown frustrated that the Justice Department was not moving aggressively enough to prosecute his political adversaries.
Despite that backdrop, Blanche said he was not privy to the reasoning behind her removal and went out of his way to praise her.
“Pam Bondi is a trusted friend of President Trump’s,” he said. “Nobody has any idea why the attorney general is no longer the attorney general and I’m the acting attorney general, except for the president.”
The leadership picture inside the Justice Department remains fluid.
Trump advisers have also discussed additional changes, including potentially demoting Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward and elevating Civil Rights Division chief Harmeet Dhillon. No decisions have been made, and Woodward was present at Tuesday’s press conference, watching from the back of the room—a sign that any broader shakeup has yet to materialize.
For now, Blanche is serving in an interim capacity—but his remarks make clear he is open to staying longer, if asked.
Whether Trump opts to elevate him or bring in a different nominee will be the next key test of how far the president is willing to go in reshaping the Justice Department after Bondi’s departure.
