President Donald Trump on June 8 nominated acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to take up the post permanently.
The White House announced the nomination online in a short update with no additional text.
President Donald Trump said last week at a White House Rose Garden event that he wanted to nominate Blanche.
Blanche has served in an acting capacity since his predecessor, Pam Bondi, was fired on April 2. Trump said at the time that Bondi would move to an “important new job in the private sector,” which would be announced in the near future. Bondi later revealed she had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer and was seeking treatment.
His appointment is subject to Senate confirmation, with Blanche requiring the support of a simple majority of senators. Republicans currently hold a majority in the chamber by a narrow 53–47 margin.
Blanche had been serving as deputy attorney since the start of Trump’s second term, during which time he led immigration law enforcement efforts through the Justice Department and oversaw the release of files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Before that, he was involved in Trump’s defense as his personal attorney in his 2024 New York jury trial, when Trump was convicted on multiple charges of falsifying business records in connection with payments that prosecutors said were mislabeled during the 2016 election.
Blanche has also worked as a federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York and later worked for multiple prominent law firms, including Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, and WilmerHale.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, backed Blanche’s nomination in a June 8 statement, saying he believed that Blanche is “well-qualified” for the role.
“I’ve worked well with Acting Attorney General Blanche for more than a year and appreciate his commitment to transparency and support for law enforcement,” Grassley said.
“Blanche is well-qualified and has shown his dedication to restoring law and order across our country. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s work to process Blanche’s nomination is underway.”
Democrats including Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) opposed Blanche’s nomination.
Schiff expressed his opposition in a post on X, noting Blanche’s previous role as Trump’s defense lawyer.
“At every turn, Todd Blanche has been unable to set aside his role as Donald Trump’s criminal defense lawyer and instead represent the American people,” he said. “The Senate must vigorously oppose his confirmation.”
Melanie Sun contributed to this report.
