Trump expected to nominate Todd Blanche as attorney general
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is widely reported to be the front-runner to become attorney general permanently as early as Wednesday evening. Blanche has led the Justice Department on an interim basis as former AG Pam Bondi was fired and previously served as a personal lawyer for Donald Trump.
Democrats have sharply criticized the prospect: Sen. Jon Ossoff and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Blanche is unfit for the role, characterizing him as a loyalist and claiming he has not acted in the public’s best interest.Simultaneously occurring, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson defended Blanche, saying trump is pleased with his performance and that Blanche is an “American patriot.”
Trump indicated he intends to make the appointment permanent after evaluating how Blanche is doing, and he said he expects Blanche to be selected, without naming other candidates. The DOJ under Blanche has faced scrutiny over its handling of a proposed $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” settlement fund tied to Trump’s IRS dispute; Blanche told a House appropriations committee that the DOJ would not move forward with the fund.
President Donald Trump is expected to nominate acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to the position in a permanent capacity as soon as Wednesday evening, according to several reports.
Blanche has led the Justice Department in an acting capacity since former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s firing in April. Blanche also once served as a personal lawyer to Trump.
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The expected nomination would place one of Trump’s closest legal allies atop the DOJ after months leading the agency on an interim basis.
Top Democratic lawmakers have already spoken against Blanche’s possible nomination.
“There is no world in which Todd Blanche could earn my vote,” Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) said Wednesday night. “As far as I’m concerned, he should resign. Todd Blanche is a crony. Todd Blanche is a loyalist. He has no business as the nation’s top law enforcement official.”
“Todd Blanche is not qualified to be the deputy attorney general, the acting attorney general, and he certainly is not qualified to be the United States attorney general,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) added. “Todd Blanche has been acting like Donald Trump’s lawyer, which was his former position, but he has failed to transition in terms of behaving in the best interest of the American people.”
When asked about Blanche’s anticipated nomination, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement to MS Now, “President Trump has a great relationship with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and is very pleased with the job he’s doing so far.”
“Todd Blanche is an American patriot who fearlessly fought against the Democrats’ unprecedented lawfare campaign on behalf of President Trump,” Jackson continued. “The President’s entire team at the Department of Justice is doing a great job advocating for sanity, law and order, and policies that keep Americans safe.”
Trump also signaled Wednesday that he intends to make Blanche’s appointment permanent.
“I wanted to see how he’s received,” Trump said of Blanche. “You know, we put him as acting, and he’s done a very good job. But I’ve known him a long time.”
In an interview on the New York Post’s Pod Force One podcast published Wednesday, Trump was asked whether he had decided whether Blanche would be attorney general.
“I think he will,” the president said.
Asked whether he had anyone else in mind for the role, Trump said no and appeared to rule out nominating Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), though he described the governor as “very good” and “a friend of mine.”
CNN first reported Trump’s plans to nominate Blanche.
The DOJ under Blanche has faced scrutiny in recent weeks over its handling of a proposed settlement fund tied to Trump’s dispute with the IRS.
The agreement included a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that critics said could have benefited Jan. 6 defendants and other Trump allies. The fund received bipartisan pushback.
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Appearing before a House appropriations committee panel earlier this week, Blanche sought to put those concerns to rest.
“We are not moving forward with the fund. Period,” he said.
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