Former Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday sharply rebuked the sitting head of the Department of Justice for agreeing to speak at the Republican National Committee's midterm convention in Dallas, calling the move both "unprecedented" and "disgraceful."
Holder, who led the DOJ under President Barack Obama, made the comments in an interview with NewsNation's Joe Khalil. "Attorneys general don't talk about political things," he said. "He shouldn't be there." The event, which gets underway Wednesday, marks the RNC's first midterm convention and is expected to feature a roster of prominent GOP figures.
The Justice Department responded to Holder's criticism by pointing to its earlier statement addressing a complaint from Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee. In a post on its official X account Wednesday, the department said: "While Jack Smith may agree with you about violating federal law, the Hatch Act is available for everyone to read, and Todd Blanche's appearance this evening in his personal capacity is legal (and has been approved by ethics)." The reference to Jack Smith, the former special counsel, underscored the department's contentious relationship with its critics.
House Judiciary Democrats had already voiced their own alarm, calling Blanche's planned appearance "dumbfounding and unprecedented" in a post Tuesday. "Amazing how far the DOJ has fallen. We'll be watching," the group wrote. The criticism sets up a politically charged backdrop for the convention, which comes as Trump heads to Dallas amid broader midterm anxieties.
Blanche is scheduled to address attendees Wednesday evening. He'll be joined by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Texas Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton, and several GOP members of Congress. President Trump is slated to speak on both nights of the two-day event, which he promoted on Truth Social as "the Greatest RALLY of them all." In a separate post, he wrote: "I'll be speaking on night one, and hanging around for an earlier closing, and lots of music, on night two!!! See you in Dallas."
The controversy over Blanche's speech is part of a wider split among Senate Republicans over how closely to align with Trump's convention strategy. Some GOP lawmakers have chosen to skip the event entirely as the president's poll numbers slide, while the NRCC has reportedly flooded the convention with free tickets to boost attendance. The convention's timing also coincides with the approach of the 9/11 anniversary, adding another layer of sensitivity.
Blanche, a former personal attorney to Trump, was nominated to lead the DOJ after the president fired Attorney General Pam Bondi in April. He had previously served as deputy attorney general and then as acting attorney general following Bondi's departure. His confirmation process was contentious, with Senate Democrats repeatedly questioning his close ties to the president and his involvement in the so-called "anti-weaponization fund" controversy.
Following Blanche's confirmation last month, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) issued a scathing statement, saying the attorney general "has no intention of stopping Trump's corruption." Schumer added, "He advanced his career enabling it. Every senator who voted to confirm him has now branded themselves as an enabler, too."
Holder's comments add a rare public rebuke from a former Democratic attorney general, underscoring the deepening partisan divide over the independence of the Justice Department. The DOJ's defense of Blanche's appearance—citing ethics approval and his personal capacity—does little to quell concerns among Democrats who see it as another sign of the department's politicization under Trump.
