Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination was announced by President Donald Trump on Wednesday, setting up a Senate confirmation fight over his permanent leadership of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Trump made the announcement during a White House dinner, according to a video posted on X by Dan Scavino, director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office. The attorney general post requires Senate confirmation.
The nomination would first go to the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa. Republicans hold a 12-10 edge on the panel.
Blanche would then need approval from the full Senate. He could afford only three Republican defections if Democrats oppose him.
Trump elevated Blanche after dismissing Pam Bondi in April. Blanche previously served as Trump’s personal attorney during the 2024 campaign and later became deputy attorney general.
Axios reported that Blanche was confirmed as deputy attorney general in a 52-46 party-line vote before becoming acting attorney general. He has led the department for just over two months.
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During that period, Blanche oversaw the Justice Department’s second indictment of former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey over alleged threats to Trump. He also announced an “anti-weaponisation fund” for people who said the government had wrongfully targeted them.
The fund drew criticism from Democrats and Republicans over concerns that people convicted in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack could receive taxpayer money. A federal judge in Virginia blocked payments last Friday, and the department later put the fund on hold.
