Overview
- President Trump formally sent Todd Blanche’s nomination to the Senate on Monday, triggering a confirmation process that will require a simple majority and could strain the narrow 53–47 GOP margin.
- Blanche has served as acting attorney general since Pam Bondi’s April departure and previously held the deputy attorney general post after a career that included work as the president’s personal defense lawyer.
- He helped negotiate an IRS settlement that included broad immunity language for Trump and related parties and proposed a roughly $1.8 billion “anti‑weaponization” fund that he later told Congress would not move forward while related lawsuits remain pending.
- Members of Congress have criticized Blanche’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein materials after redaction errors and disclosures of victims’ information, and former AG Bondi told lawmakers she delegated oversight of the release to Blanche; he also interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell before her transfer to a low‑security facility.
- Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley has said he will advance the nomination but multiple Republican senators have voiced reservations or set conditions for support, and ongoing congressional oversight and court challenges create likely months of scrutiny that could shape DOJ independence and policy choices.