Who is Todd Blanche? Trumpās e personal lawyer in Stormy Daniels hush-money case nominated to replace Pam Bondi
After weeks of signalling his intention, United States President Donald Trump has officially nominated his former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, to serve as Attorney General
After weeks of signalling his intention, United States President Donald Trump has officially nominated his former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, to serve as Attorney General. The White House confirmed that Trump submitted Blanche's name to the Senate. Blanche, 51, has been acting Attorney General since Pam Bondi's removal in April, a move prompted by disagreements over her handling of Justice Department files linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey ā Epstein and frustration that the department was not doing enough against the White House's supposed political enemies. His nomination does not guarantee confirmation.
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, but party unity is far from assured given Blanche's controversial record. Ahead of his nomination and his confirmation in the Senate, Blanche had said that he was āhonored and humbledā that the president was planning to nominate him. He said he planned to work with senators to address their concerns. āI have a good relationship with the Senate on both sides. I donāt say no to phone calls.ā Who is Todd Blanche? Blanche is Trump's former personal lawyer who has defended him in several cases.
He has been serving as acting attorney general since April. Since then, he has pursued a number of indictments against Trump's political enemies. Before joining Trump, Blanche was a registered Democrat. As a lawyer, Blanche has represented former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, the businessman Igor Fruman, and the attorney Boris Epshteyn. In April 2023, Trump brought on Blanche to defend him in the New York criminal case centered on the hush money paid to Stormy Daniels. Trump hired him after he was indicted for retaining classified federal documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach.
Blanche has represented Trump in his alleged participation in the attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The former Justice Department number two also controversially defended a $1.8 billion "slush fund" to compensate Trump's political allies, which the administration has since dropped. He was also on the defence team in two federal cases brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith ā for allegedly mishandling classified documents and for seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The BriefWire