President Donald Trump has confirmed that Todd Blanche will be his pick for attorney general, elevating his former personal lawyer who has already been steering the Justice Department in an acting capacity. The decision rewards a figure who has thrown himself into advancing the president’s agenda since stepping into the role.

Speaking at a White House dinner on Wednesday, Trump told guests he intended to send the formal nomination forward the following day. “We are going to make him permanent attorney general,” he declared at the Rose Garden gathering, according to video circulated online by a White House aide.

From Acting Chief to Permanent Pick

Blanche wasted little time staking his claim to the top job after Pam Bondi was dismissed in April. He ramped up investigations into Trump’s adversaries and rolled out a controversial fund, valued at nearly $1.8 billion, designed to compensate the president’s allies for what the administration characterized as politically motivated persecution.

That proposal backfired badly. It triggered outrage across party lines and ultimately forced the Justice Department into a striking reversal, abandoning the plan earlier this week.

Bondi had been pushed out after her unsuccessful attempts to prosecute people Trump viewed as political enemies. Blanche, who originally joined the department as deputy attorney general, was promoted in her place. Although he publicly insisted he wasn’t angling for the permanent position, his high-profile actions told a different story, repeatedly demonstrating his devotion to the president.

A Pattern That Alarms Critics

Blanche’s conduct has drawn fierce criticism from Democrats and others who argue he never stopped behaving like Trump’s personal attorney. In their view, he has used the levers of the Justice Department to advance the president’s campaign of payback.

The $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” proved especially damaging, alienating not just Democrats but also Senate Republicans, whose votes Blanche will now need to win confirmation. The fund drew particular scrutiny because of the possibility that individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, including violent participants, might qualify for payments. Blanche declined to rule that out publicly, fueling the firestorm.

By Tuesday, he told lawmakers the department would shelve the idea altogether, after the backlash had stalled separate legislation tied to funding Trump’s immigration enforcement priorities.

Pursuing the President’s Opponents

Throughout his tenure, Blanche has rejected claims that the administration has weaponized federal law enforcement. He maintains his focus is on undoing what he describes as abuses committed under the Biden administration. Still, the department under his leadership has noticeably intensified its scrutiny of longtime Trump rivals.

Among the most striking developments:

• Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted in April over a social media image showing seashells arranged on a beach, which officials claimed amounted to a threat against the president. Comey has dismissed the case as politically driven and warned he wouldn’t be shocked by further charges.
• Blanche tapped Joseph diGenova, an 81-year-old former Justice Department prosecutor from the Reagan era, to lead a Florida-based inquiry into whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired over the past decade to undermine Trump.

A Lawyer Shaped by Trump’s Legal Battles

Blanche built his public profile as the lead figure on Trump’s defense team, most notably during the hush money trial in New York. A former federal prosecutor himself, he has said that experience gave him a close-up view of what he believes was the justice system being turned against Trump.

Whether that loyalty translates into Senate confirmation remains uncertain. Having already irritated members of his own party, Blanche now faces the task of winning over the very lawmakers his recent moves have antagonized.