Todd Blanche

Todd Blanche
Official portrait, 2026
88th United States Attorney General
Assumed office
April 2, 2026
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputyHimself
Trent McCotter (acting)
Preceded byPam Bondi
40th United States Deputy Attorney General
In office
March 6, 2025 – August 10, 2026
PresidentDonald Trump
Attorney General
  • Pam Bondi
  • Himself (acting)
Preceded byLisa Monaco
Succeeded byTrent McCotter (acting)
Acting Librarian of Congress
Disputed
Assumed office
May 12, 2025
Disputed with Robert Newlen
Appointed byDonald Trump
Preceded byCarla Hayden
Personal details
Born
Todd Wallace Blanche

(1974-08-06) August 6, 1974 (age 52)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Other political
affiliations		Democratic (before 2024)
Spouse(s)
Kristine Blanche
​
(m. 1996)​
Children2
EducationBeloit College
American University (BA)
Brooklyn Law School (JD)
Signature

Todd Wallace Blanche (/blæntʃ/; born August 6, 1974) is an American attorney and former prosecutor who has been the 88th United States Attorney General since 2026. Before, he was the 40th United States deputy attorney general from 2025 to 2026. During his legal career, Blanche worked in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York's violent crimes division for eight years. He represented then-former U.S. president Donald Trump in the 2024 criminal trial in New York.

In April 2026, President Trump picked Blanche to be acting U.S. Attorney General after he fired Pam Bondi. Two months later, Trump nominated Blanche to be Bondi's permanent replacement. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in August 2026.

Early life

Todd Wallace Blanche was born on August 6, 1974, in Denver, Colorado. His father was a Canadian hockey player and his mother was a nurse. Blanche was raised in Denver.

Blanche went to the New Mexico Military Institute. In 1992, he studied at Louisiana State University, but transferred the next year to Beloit College. By 1994, Blanche transferred to American University. He married Kristine, a biology major at Catholic University of America, and the couple had two children.

Blanche went to the Brooklyn Law School at night and graduated cum laude from law school in 2003.

Blanche interned at the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, a position that later became a full-time job. He later worked as a paralegal in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

In 2017, Blanche became a partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. Blanche represented several figures associated with president Donald Trump and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, including Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, Igor Fruman, and Boris Epshteyn.

In April 2023, Trump hired Blanche to defend him for concealed hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels and he led Trump's defense in the 2024 criminal trial. Blanche later defended Trump in cases involving federal classified documents and election obstruction.

Deputy U.S. Attorney General

On November 14, 2024, President-elect Trump announced that he planned to nominate Blanche to be deputy attorney general. He was confirmed to the post by the U.S. Senate on March 5, 2025 in a 52-46 vote.

In May 2025, Trump fired the librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, and named Blanche to replace her. The staff of the Library of Congress and Hayden pushed back against Trump's power to pick Blanche without the support of the U.S. Senate. Some believed that Robert Newlen, the principal deputy librarian, should have been Hayden's successor.

Bondi and Blanche told Trump in May 2025 that his name was in the Epstein files, a set of documents about the dead sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Blanche also met with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell in prison, which some thought he was giving her a deal in exchange for her not to mention Trump. In May 2026, Blanche stated that he would not recommend a pardon for Maxwell.

In January 2026, after the killing of Renée Good in Minneapolis, Blanche led the investigation into her killing, however said that U.S. ICE agents did not violate Good's civil rights. Blanche also accused Minnesota governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey of committing "terrorism". After the killing of Alex Pretti that month, Blanche defended the agents who shot Pretti.

U.S. Attorney General

Blanche with U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley during Blanche's confirmation hearing, July 2026

On April 2, 2026, Blanche became the acting U.S. Attorney General after Attorney General Pam Bondi was fired by President Trump. Two months later, on June 8, 2026, Trump formally nominated Blanche to be the permanent attorney general.

On July 15, 2026, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Blanche for Attorney General. His nomination had opposition from all Democratic senators and some Republican senators such as John Cornyn and Thom Tillis. Some senators did not like Blanche's support of Trump's proposed anti-weaponization fund, which was meant to give money to people who Trump thought were targeted by the Justice Department such as the rioters of the January 6th attack. As a result, Blanche said the weaponization fund would not move forward. During his hearing, Blanche corrected himself after he called himself "Trump's lawyer" and quickly said "was his lawyer".

On August 4, 2026, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced his nomination in a 12-10 vote. Blanche was narrowly confirmed as the U.S. Attorney General in a 50-49 Senate vote four days later on August 8. Blanche was sworn-in on August 10.

Notes

  1. ↑ Acting: April 2 – August 10, 2026
  2. ↑ During his time as Acting Attorney General
  3. ↑ The legality of Blanche's appointment and tenure as the acting librarian of Congress is disputed. The staff of the Library of Congress have asserted that Robert Newlen, the library's principal deputy librarian, is the acting librarian.

References

  1. ↑ "Todd W. Blanche". The Federalist Society. 2024-08-01. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  2. ↑ "Office of the Deputy Attorney General | Office of the Deputy Attorney General". www.justice.gov. 2014-08-06. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  3. ↑ "Trump taps white-collar attorney to helm indictment defense". POLITICO. 2023-04-03. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  4. ↑ Gleeson, Cailey. "Who Is Todd Blanche? What To Know About Trump's Hush Money Trial Lawyer". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  5. ↑ Rice, Andrew (April 22, 2024). "In Defense of Trump". Intelligencer. Archived from the original on April 13, 2026. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  6. ↑ Miller, Joe (September 11, 2024). "Can Todd Blanche defend Trump without losing his soul?". FT Magazine. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  7. ↑ "N.M. Military Colts". Albuquerque Journal. November 23, 1990. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  8. ↑ Rashbaum, William (June 13, 2023). "The lawyer leading the former president's defense is no stranger to Trump World". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 2, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  9. ↑ Haberman, Maggie; Rashbaum, William (August 3, 2023). "Trump's Defense Team Adds a New Member for the Latest Case". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 21, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  10. ↑ Haberman, Maggie; Feuer, Alan (June 9, 2023). "Two Trump Lawyers Quit a Day After His Indictment". The New York Times. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  11. ↑ Barrett, Devlin (2024-11-14). "Trump Picks Todd Blanche, His Defense Lawyer, to Be Deputy Attorney General". The New York Times. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  12. ↑ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Emma Colton (2024-11-14). "Trump names his personal criminal defense attorney Todd Blanche as deputy attorney general". Fox News. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  13. ↑ Barrett, Devlin (2025-03-05). "Senate Confirms Trump Attorney Todd Blanche as No. 2 Justice Dept. Official". The New York Times. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  14. ↑ "Senate confirms former Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche as deputy attorney general". AP News. 2025-03-05. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  15. ↑ Miller, Maya; Barrett, Devlin (May 12, 2025). "Trump Installs Top Justice Dept. Official at Library of Congress, Prompting a Standoff". The New York Times. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
  16. ↑ Gurman, Sadie; Linskey, Annie; Dawsey, Josh; Leary, Alex (July 23, 2025). "Justice Department Told Trump in May That His Name Is Among Many in the Epstein Files". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on January 28, 2026. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  17. ↑ Thrush, Glenn; Crowder, Valerie (July 25, 2025). "After Ghislaine Maxwell Interview, Concerns Mount Over Possibility of Pardon". The New York Times. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  18. ↑ Betts, Anna (20 May 2026). "Todd Blanche says he would not recommend a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell". Guardian. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  19. ↑ Thrush, Glenn (January 10, 2026). "F.B.I.'s Inquiry Into ICE Shooting Faces Doubts After White House's Remarks". The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  20. ↑ Thrush, Glenn; Feuer, Alan; Barrett, Devlin; Bromwich, Jonah (January 16, 2026). "Trump Administration Begins Criminal Inquiry Into Minnesota Leaders". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 17, 2026. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  21. ↑ Sella, Adam (January 25, 2026). "Deputy attorney general takes a measured tone after Trump officials call the shooting victim a terrorist". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 27, 2026. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  22. ↑ Pager, Tyler; Thrush, Glenn (2026-04-02). "Trump Fires Pam Bondi as Attorney General". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  23. ↑ Rabinowitz, Kristen Holmes, Kaitlan Collins, Hannah (2026-04-02). "Pam Bondi ousted as attorney general, source says | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2026-04-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. ↑ "Pam Bondi out as attorney general, Trump says". NBC News. 2026-04-02. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  25. ↑ Strohm, Chris (June 8, 2026). "Trump Picks Blanche as Attorney General, Teeing Up Senate Fight". Bloomberg News. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  26. ↑ "The Nomination of the Honorable Todd Blanche to be Attorney General of the United States | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". www.judiciary.senate.gov. Retrieved 2026-07-16.
  27. 1 2 Quinn, Melissa (2026-07-15). "Blanche again says $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund is "not moving forward"". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2026-07-16.
  28. ↑ Becket, Stefan (2026-07-15). "Blanche on relationship with Trump: "I'm his lawyer — was his lawyer"". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2026-07-16.
  29. ↑ Quinn, Melissa (August 4, 2026). "Senate Judiciary Committee advances Blanche's nomination for attorney general". CBS News. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  30. ↑ Reilly, Ryan J. (August 4, 2026). "Senate Republicans advance Todd Blanche nomination after 'anti-weaponization' fund holdup". NBC News. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  31. ↑ Durkin Richer, Alanna. "Todd Blanche narrowly confirmed as Trump's attorney general in overnight vote". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
  32. ↑ "The standoff to confirm Todd Blanche, Trump's attorney general pick, shows no signs of ending". Yahoo News. 2026-08-08. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
  33. ↑ "Todd Blanche to be sworn in as attorney general". MSN. August 10, 2026. Retrieved August 10, 2026.