Trump Formally Nominates Todd Blanche as Attorney General, Sending His Former Defense Lawyer to Senate Confirmation.

Since Trump fired Pam Bondi in April over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, Todd Blanche has been running the Justice Department in an acting capacity. The formal nomination, transmitted to the Senate on Monday, makes the arrangement official and triggers what CBS News describes as a potentially uphill confirmation fight.

Trump previewed the nomination at a White House Rose Garden dinner last week, according to a video White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino posted to X. On Monday, Trump told a podcast, "He's a very talented guy."

Who Blanche Is

Blanche spent years as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York before entering private practice. He represented Trump in the New York hush-money trial, the federal classified documents case, and the federal election obstruction case. Trump was convicted on all 34 felony counts in the hush-money case. The two federal cases were effectively dropped after Trump won the 2024 election.

Blanche served just over a year as deputy attorney general before being elevated to acting AG in April, according to CBS News. That role put him in charge of all of the department's criminal and national security operations before he formally occupied the top chair.

The Anti-Weaponization Fund Debacle

The biggest obstacle to a smooth confirmation is a saga that played out over the past several weeks. Blanche oversaw an effort to establish a $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization fund," structured as part of a settlement over the leaking of Trump's tax returns, to compensate people the administration deemed unfairly targeted by the federal government.

The fund drew bipartisan opposition. Democrats called it a slush fund for Trump allies. Several Republican senators raised alarms that convicted January 6 rioters could apply for payouts. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz described the internal GOP meeting as a "full-on revolt," according to CBS News. Senate business was temporarily stalled.

A federal judge blocked the fund before it launched. Blanche then told lawmakers the department was "not moving forward" with it, and the Justice Department confirmed that position in a court filing. The episode is likely to surface again during confirmation hearings.

The Republican Senator Who Hasn't Decided

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley called Blanche "well-qualified" on Monday and cited his "commitment to transparency and support for law enforcement," according to The Guardian. That endorsement matters, but it does not guarantee a clean committee vote.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina told reporters he had not decided whether to support Blanche. Tillis, who is leaving Congress in January 2027, said the "key" to earning his vote is for Blanche to condemn the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. He acknowledged that the Justice Department's reversal on the anti-weaponization fund "improves Todd's chances," according to CBS News. Tillis previously slowed confirmation of Fed Chair Kevin Warsh until the DOJ dropped its investigation into former Fed Chair Jerome Powell, demonstrating he is willing to use holds as leverage.

The Strongest Objection to Blanche

Critics, including legal experts quoted by CBS News, argue that several of the indictments Blanche oversaw against Trump's political opponents lack the basic legal elements required to establish crimes. The most prominent example: the Justice Department charged former FBI Director James Comey. For critics, a former president's personal defense lawyer running the nation's top law enforcement agency while pursuing that president's political enemies is not a "weaponization" fix. It is a different version of the same problem.

The Justice Department's credibility depends on the public perception that prosecutorial decisions are driven by evidence, not politics. Blanche's dual role, as Trump's former attorney and now the official deciding who gets charged, is a genuinely novel ethical situation. If he is confirmed, that tension does not disappear. It becomes permanent.

The Counterargument

Blanche's defenders have a real point, too. The prior administration did pursue cases against Trump that involved aggressive legal theories and unusual prosecutorial choices. A course correction at DOJ was something voters implicitly approved when they returned Trump to office. Blanche's background as a federal prosecutor, not a pure political operative, is meaningful. Grassley's endorsement reflects that career credibility, not just party loyalty.

What He Said He Would Do

Shortly after being named acting attorney general in April, Blanche told NBC News's Laura Jarrett that his priorities are "making America safe again" as an umbrella goal, with a specific focus on addressing what he calls "weaponization" and preventing the prosecution patterns of the prior years from recurring. He also cited pro-life organizations that he alleged the previous DOJ targeted in coordination with outside groups.

What Comes Next

The Senate Judiciary Committee must schedule and hold confirmation hearings before a floor vote. Republicans hold the Senate majority, but the Tillis situation illustrates that majority is not automatic on this nomination. Whether Blanche is prepared to explicitly condemn January 6, and how he answers questions about the Comey indictment and the anti-weaponization fund during sworn testimony, will determine whether he can hold the votes he needs.