President Trump’s nomination of his personal criminal defense attorney, Todd Blanche, to become the 96th attorney general is all but certain to pass a Republican-controlled Senate. But critics argue that confirming Blanche would represent a profound betrayal of the principle of equal justice under law.
With a 53-to-47 majority, Senate Republicans traditionally defer to a president’s Cabinet picks. Only four Cabinet nominees in U.S. history have been outright rejected, though some have withdrawn under pressure—like former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who stepped aside in November 2024 amid a sex trafficking investigation. Blanche, however, faces a different kind of scrutiny: His tenure as acting attorney general has been marked by accusations of political vendettas, managerial incompetence, and a disregard for the rule of law.
Blanche was elevated to the top job in April after Trump fired Pam Bondi. Since then, he has transformed the Justice Department into what critics call an ethical swamp, purging experienced career prosecutors and replacing them with loyalists. Hundreds of lawyers have resigned or been pushed out, many because they worked on cases against Trump. The result, according to former officials, is a department that has lost sight of its core mission: to ensure justice is done impartially.
The most glaring example of Blanche’s mismanagement came in the prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey. The seasoned prosecutor initially handling the case was fired for refusing to bring charges. Blanche then installed Lindsey Halligan, an insurance lawyer with no grand jury experience, to lead the Virginia U.S. Attorney’s Office. On her fourth day, Halligan appeared before a grand jury but failed to present the final version of the indictment. The judge dismissed the case after Halligan admitted the error. A second indictment against Comey, based on a social media post allegedly containing coded threats—including seashells arranged to spell “86 47”—is widely seen as laughable and unlikely to survive a jury trial.
Blanche’s record includes a string of failed cases against Trump’s political enemies. An indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James for mortgage fraud was thrown out by a judge; two subsequent grand juries refused to re-indict. Charges against six Democratic lawmakers who urged military and intelligence personnel to disobey illegal orders were also dismissed. An absurd effort to prosecute former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for resisting Trump’s pressure on interest rates was eventually dropped. Even the investigation into California Governor Gavin Newsom and his family intensified only after Trump announced Blanche’s nomination.
The Justice Department’s credibility has suffered further. In Chicago, a judge cited numerous grand jury errors and dismissed an indictment against four Democratic activists accused of obstructing police at a protest. In Wyoming, a panel of three federal judges threw out nine indictments, including murder charges, after uncovering misconduct by a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney who reports to Blanche. These failures have led to widespread criticism that Blanche’s department is more focused on settling scores than on prosecuting crime.
Blanche’s ethical lapses have also drawn fire. He defended a $1.8 billion fund to compensate pardoned January 6 defendants, telling CNN, “People who hurt police get money all the time.” Senate Republicans balked, forcing Trump to cancel the fund. Thirty-five former federal judges filed an amicus brief arguing that Blanche’s failure to disclose a conflict-of-interest settlement—which gave Trump and his family $600 million—constituted a “fraud on the court.” The New York State Bar Association condemned Blanche after he declared “war” on judges who ruled against the administration.
Blanche’s confirmation push is already facing headwinds. The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled hearings, but Republicans have expressed doubts about his handling of the $1.8 billion fund and a tax deal with Trump. Meanwhile, House Democrats, led by Rep. Robert Garcia, have vowed to issue subpoenas for Blanche and other Trump officials if they regain the majority. Blanche recently met with Sen. Chuck Grassley to shore up support, but the path to confirmation remains uncertain.
Past attorneys general have included figures of legal stature who pledged allegiance to the Constitution. Some, like Robert H. Jackson and William Rehnquist, went on to serve on the Supreme Court. Blanche, by contrast, has shown loyalty only to Trump. If confirmed, he would be the most openly partisan attorney general in modern history—a role that, critics warn, would turn the Justice Department into a weapon for the president rather than a guardian of the law.
