Trump Sends Todd Blanche's Attorney General Nomination to the Senate. The Confirmation Fight Starts Now.

Since Trump forced out Attorney General Pam Bondi in April, the Justice Department's top job has been filled on an acting basis by Todd Blanche, the former personal defense lawyer who helped Trump fight criminal charges on three separate fronts. On June 9, according to NPR justice correspondent Ryan Lucas, the White House formally submitted Blanche's nomination to the Senate, converting an audition into an official confirmation fight.

Who Blanche Is

Blanche's relationship with Trump started with a phone call during a ski trip in early 2023. Trump's number came up on his caller ID as a West Palm Beach contact, Blanche recounted on defense attorney David Markus's podcast in 2024. A dinner with their wives followed. They clicked, Blanche said, and Trump hired him.

From there, Blanche became one of the most prominent defense attorneys in the country, representing Trump in the hush money case, the classified documents prosecution, and the federal January 6 case. All three proceedings collapsed or were dropped after Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. Trump then made Blanche deputy attorney general, the No. 2 job responsible for overseeing all DOJ criminal and national security work, according to CBS News.

What He's Done as Acting AG

Blanche has had roughly two months to show Trump he deserves the permanent title. By most accounts, he used the time to run hard at the administration's priorities.

He signed papers shielding Trump, his family, and Trump businesses from IRS audits of past tax returns, according to Texas Public Radio. He oversaw a second criminal prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey, a case CBS News reports legal experts have described as lacking the basic elements needed to establish that crimes were committed. He also personally defended the proposed $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund," described by CBS News as part of a settlement between Trump and the government over the leak of Trump's tax returns.

That fund became an immediate problem. Democrats called it a slush fund for Trump allies. Some Republicans raised concerns that convicted January 6 rioters would use it to claim government persecution. GOP Sen. Ted Cruz reportedly called the Senate reaction a "full-on revolt" in a meeting with colleagues, according to CBS News. A federal judge blocked the fund before it launched. Blanche told lawmakers the department was "not moving forward" with it, and DOJ confirmed that position in a court filing.

The Senate Math

Republican margins in the Senate are narrow. Blanche's path to 51 votes is uncertain.

GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina told reporters on June 12 he has NOT decided whether to support Blanche in the Judiciary Committee. His stated condition: Blanche needs to condemn the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Tillis also said the decision to drop the anti-weaponization fund "improves Todd's chances" — without making it a firm yes, according to CBS News.

Tillis has already demonstrated he's willing to slow Trump nominees when he objects to DOJ conduct. He held up Kevin Warsh's Fed Chair confirmation until the Justice Department dropped its investigation into former Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

The strongest argument in Blanche's favor is straightforward: he has demonstrated loyalty, competence in court, and a willingness to execute the administration's legal agenda without the political friction that preceded Bondi's exit. Trump signaled his preference publicly at a White House Rose Garden dinner last week, according to CBS News, before the formal paperwork went in. A president who rarely promotes uncertainty about personnel choices made this one visible early.

The Legitimate Concern

The serious objection to Blanche isn't partisan — it's structural. Blanche is simultaneously the man who represented Trump as a private citizen in criminal proceedings and now the nation's chief law enforcement officer overseeing investigations that touch Trump's allies, enemies, and political orbit. Critics from both parties have raised the question of whether someone who said "I love you, sir" to the president on record can independently exercise the prosecutorial discretion the job requires. That is not an unfair question. Institutional credibility at DOJ depends partly on the public believing that enforcement decisions are driven by law, not by the boss's preferences.

Blanche's defenders would answer that every attorney general serves at the president's pleasure, and that loyalty to the executive's priorities is expected — not disqualifying. That's constitutionally accurate. Whether the specific combination of Blanche's personal history with Trump and his actions in the acting role cross a line that enough senators care about is what the confirmation process is supposed to answer.

What Comes Next

The Judiciary Committee has not yet scheduled hearings as of June 15. Tillis's vote is the one to watch. His stated condition, a public condemnation of January 6, is concrete and testable. If Blanche refuses or hedges in testimony, Tillis's vote likely goes no. If any other GOP senator in a close reelection position follows Tillis's lead, Blanche's margin disappears. The anti-weaponization fund saga, according to CBS News, is expected to resurface during those hearings as a line of questioning the committee will not skip.