Trump formally nominates Todd Blanche as attorney general
President Donald Trump on Monday formally nominated his longtime loyalist and former personal defense lawyer Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general permanently.
Blanche has been serving as the nation’s top prosecutor in an acting capacity after Pam Bondi was fired by Trump in April. Blanche was Bondi’s deputy at the time.
The nomination has been sent to the Senate.
Blanche likely faces an uphill battle to get confirmed by senators who have castigated him over his handling of the Justice Department’s release of the Epstein files, his efforts to prosecute officials who Trump has targeted for retaliation and the president’s “anti-weaponization” fund, which has drawn bipartisan scorn.
Still, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has expressed optimism that Blanche has enough support to win confirmation.
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Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
