‘Given up on the idea the AG works for the American people’: Blanche defends $1.8B settlement fund

President Trump has replaced Attorney General Pam Bondi with his former personal criminal defense lawyer, raising serious questions about who will ultimately lead the Justice Department on a permanent basis.

Story Snapshot

Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi and elevated Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to acting attorney general in April 2026.
Blanche already oversees more than 115,000 Justice Department employees and is actively implementing Trump’s law-enforcement priorities.
A permanent nomination remains uncertain, with former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin reportedly under consideration for the top job.
Blanche could legally remain in the acting role for months without a Senate confirmation vote, according to reporting on the department’s leadership structure.

Bondi Out, Blanche Steps In

President Trump announced the removal of Attorney General Pam Bondi and tapped Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to serve as acting attorney general, a role Blanche has held since April 2026. Blanche simultaneously holds the title of 40th Deputy Attorney General of the United States, giving him dual authority over the department’s day-to-day operations. The transition was swift, with no extended transition period between Bondi’s departure and Blanche’s assumption of command.

Blanche is not a stranger to high-stakes legal environments. Before joining the Trump administration, he served as Trump’s personal criminal defense attorney during the former president’s federal and state criminal proceedings. Trump appointed him to the number two position at the Justice Department after returning to the White House in January 2025, and critics immediately raised concerns about placing a personal attorney in a senior prosecutorial role. Supporters, however, argue that Blanche’s familiarity with Trump’s legal battles makes him uniquely qualified to help restore order and accountability at a department they view as having been weaponized against conservatives.

What Blanche Is Already Doing at Justice

According to the Justice Department’s own staff profile, Blanche oversees the work of more than 115,000 dedicated employees and is focused on implementing President Trump’s core law-enforcement priorities. The Federalist Society’s biography of Blanche describes his work as “confronting illegal immigration and protecting American businesses from fraud,” two issues that resonate deeply with the conservative base that has grown frustrated with the prior administration’s lax enforcement posture. His background as a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York also gives him credibility as a legal operator, not merely a political appointee.

Before entering private practice, Blanche spent years as a federal prosecutor handling complex white-collar and organized crime cases. That prosecutorial experience distinguishes him from purely political figures who have sometimes been placed in top law-enforcement roles. From a conservative standpoint, having a former federal prosecutor who understands the machinery of the Justice Department — and who is committed to the president’s agenda on immigration and fraud — is exactly the kind of leadership the department needs after years of politically motivated investigations targeting Trump allies.

Permanent Appointment Still an Open Question

Blanche’s long-term future at the Justice Department is not settled. Fox 13 News reported that his permanent appointment remains uncertain, with former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin emerging as a potential nominee for the permanent attorney general position. Politico reported that Blanche could continue running the department for months under the acting designation, even without a formal Senate confirmation process, which gives the administration significant flexibility in timing any nomination.

For conservatives, the key question is not whether Blanche defended Trump in court — every American has the right to legal representation — but whether the Justice Department under his leadership will enforce the law impartially and pursue the priorities voters sent Trump back to Washington to deliver. Those priorities include cracking down on illegal immigration, prosecuting financial fraud, and dismantling what many conservatives see as a two-tiered justice system that shielded Democrats while targeting Republicans. Whether Blanche stays permanently or serves as a bridge to a Senate-confirmed nominee, the direction of the department under Trump’s second term is clear: enforcement first, politics second.