Trump lawyer Todd Blanche confirmed as No. 2 leader at DOJ – Washington Examiner
The Senate recently confirmed Todd blanche as the Deputy Attorney General by a vote of 52-46, following party lines. A prominent attorney and former top defense lawyer for Donald Trump, Blanche takes over from Emil Bove, who has been acting in the role. In his new position, Blanche will oversee the daily operations of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and directly support attorney General pam Bondi, who aims to reshape the DOJ’s focus towards immigration enforcement and investigating alleged abuses from the Biden governance.
During his confirmation hearing, Blanche described his nomination as his “American dream” and emphasized his commitment to earning the trust of the american public. Having previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in New York and worked as a partner at a law firm, Blanche’s nomination has seen support from over 100 prosecutors he worked with, who praised his integrity and dedication to the core values of the DOJ.
However, his nomination faced opposition from Democratic senators, highlighting concerns over recent personnel actions at the DOJ that are perceived as politically motivated. Questions were raised regarding potential conflicts of interest related to Blanche’s prior work with Trump and his defense team. Despite the challenges, Blanche assured that he would uphold his ethical obligations in any related matters.
Bove will continue as the principal associate deputy attorney general, marking a transition in leadership that raises critically important attention regarding the DOJ’s future direction under the new administration.
Trump lawyer Todd Blanche confirmed as No. 2 leader at DOJ
The Senate voted 52-46 along party lines to confirm Todd Blanche as deputy attorney general, installing one of President Donald Trump’s top personal defense lawyers in the No. 2 position at the Department of Justice.
Blanche, 50, will replace Emil Bove, who is serving in the role in an acting capacity. Blanche will oversee daily operations of the department while working directly under Attorney General Pam Bondi. Bondi has been reshaping the DOJ to focus on immigration enforcement and street crime while also sifting through the work of the Biden administration to unearth perceived abuses of authority.
During his confirmation hearing, Blanche said his nomination was his “American dream” and noted that he was “definitely not a Washington insider.”
“If I’m lucky enough to be confirmed, I will work every day to earn, protect, and honor the trust of our shared constituency, the American people,” Blanche said.
Blanche worked as an assistant U.S. attorney for eight years in the Southern District of New York before becoming a partner at New York City’s oldest law firm. Blanche was a registered Democrat before lurching his career in a different direction, becoming a registered Florida Republican and joining Trump’s criminal defense team.
More than 100 federal prosecutors who worked with Blanche at SDNY endorsed Blanche’s nomination in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, calling him a “fundamentally good and decent man.”
“We were fortunate to work with Todd, and saw how he puts the core values of the DOJ—independence, impartiality, honesty, integrity, respect, excellence, and a fierce dedication to fairness under the law—into practice,” the group of lawyers wrote.
Blanche will replace Bove, who is serving in the No. 2 role in an acting capacity. Bove has stirred up controversy in a short period of time by fulfilling some of Trump’s most politicized desires. They have included firing a slate of executives at the FBI, demanding names of thousands of employees who worked on Jan. 6 cases, and negotiating the pending dismissal of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s case, an effort that prompted several top-tier lawyers to resign.
Unlike his predecessor, Lisa Monaco, who was nominated by former President Joe Biden and confirmed with nearly every Republican supporting her, Blanche garnered no Democratic votes. Democrats have said they have profound concerns with DOJ leadership’s recent personnel actions, which have involved not just typical terminations of top political appointees but firings, resignations, and warnings of more personnel action for a slate of career employees who worked on cases involving Trump or his supporters.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), one of Trump’s longtime political foes, highlighted one of his party’s concerns during Blanche’s confirmation hearing, asking the nominee if he would recuse himself from any residual work at the DOJ related to Trump’s criminal cases. The California Democrat said such work presents a “clear conflict of interest.”
PAM BONDI PRIORITIZES IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN ON DAY ONE
“There will be conflicts, and I will not violate my ethical obligations under the bar,” Blanche replied.
Bove, who worked on Trump’s criminal defense team with Blanche, will serve in the role of principal associate deputy attorney general.
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