15 Reasons Why Donald Trump’s Personal Lawyer Todd Blanche is Unfit to Be U.S. Attorney General

• Todd Blanche has been Donald Trump’s personal criminal defense lawyer since 2023, defending Trump against criminal charges such as covering up “hush money” payments, mishandling of classified documents, and trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Trump has rewarded that loyalty by nominating Todd Blanche to be in charge of the Justice Department (DOJ).
• Concerns about Todd Blanche leading the Justice Department are especially significant because the Justice Department is responsible for investigating federal crimes, including Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation and the network of powerful individuals and institutions that enabled it. Under Todd Blanche’s leadership, the Justice Department has not publicly identified or investigated any of the people alleged to have enabled Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal enterprise.
• Donald Trump was part of Jeffrey Epstein’s social circle for more than a decade and appears more than 38,000 times in the Epstein files, making Todd Blanche’s role as Donald Trump’s personal criminal lawyer and the nation’s top law enforcement official a significant conflict-of-interest.

Sources:

• “Trump lawyer Todd Blanche leaves law firm to represent former president,” Reuters, April 11, 2023.
• “How Trump Appears in the Epstein Files,” The New York Times, February 1, 2026.

• Since 2023, Todd Blanche has served as Donald Trump’s personal criminal defense lawyer, representing Donald Trump against multiple criminal charges and investigations, including mishandling of classified government documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
• Another case Todd Blanche defended was the New York hush money criminal case, in which Donald Trump was convicted of falsifying business records to conceal “hush money” payments made to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress, before the 2016 presidential election.
• After Stormy Daniels testified about her sexual encounter with Donald Trump and the hush money payment intended to keep their relationship from becoming public before the 2016 presidential election, Todd Blanche twice asked the judge to dismiss the case, and the judge denied both requests.
• Donald Trump was convicted on all 34 felony counts, making Donald Trump the first former U.S. president convicted of felony crimes.

Sources:

• “Guilty on all counts, Donald Trump becomes first US president convicted of a crime,” Reuters, May 30, 2024.
• “Todd Blanche – Trump work (2023–2024),” Wikipedia, accessed July 8, 2026.

• In 2025, Justice Department ethics officials reportedly advised Todd Blanche to recuse himself from all matters involving Donald Trump because he had previously served as Trump’s personal lawyer.
• Despite obvious conflict-of-interest concerns, Todd Blanche appeared to continue overseeing Justice Department decisions involving Donald Trump, raising further questions about whether Donald Trump’s former personal criminal defense lawyer could independently lead the Justice Department.
• In June 2026, 101 former federal and state judges filed an ethics complaint against Todd Blanche with the New York State Attorney Grievance Committee, alleging that his conduct violated professional ethics and undermined public confidence in the impartial administration of justice.

Sources:

• “Todd Blanche advised to recuse himself from Trump investigations over conflict-of-interest concerns,” CNN, May 14, 2026.
• “Todd Blanche Must Be Held Accountable for Professional Misconduct,” Democracy Defenders Fund, June 22, 2026.

• In April 2025, Todd Blanche shut down the Justice Department’s National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, the group responsible for investigating cryptocurrency crimes.
• That same year, Donald Trump and the Trump family reported billions of dollars in profit after convincing everyday people to invest in their World Liberty Financial and $TRUMP memecoin crypto tokens.
• Meanwhile, everyday Americans who invested in the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial and the $TRUMP memecoin suffered huge financial losses.

Sources:

• “Top DOJ Official Shut Down Enforcement Against Crypto Companies While Holding More Than $150,000 in Crypto Investments,” ProPublica, December 22, 2025.
• “Trump Made $1 Billion on Crypto Deals While His Fans Lost a Fortune,” The Wall Street Journal, July 3, 2026.

• In May 2025, Todd Blanche ordered the forcible arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka during a routine oversight visit to immigrant detention center Delaney Hall. Baraka was there to investigate detainee reports of inhumane conditions, physical and sexual abuse by prison guards and inadequate medical care.
• Mayor Ras Baraka had joined members of Congress conducting an oversight visit to the Delaney Hall facility, which had faced allegations of inhumane conditions, physical and sexual abuse by guards, and inadequate medical care.
• All charges against Baraka were later dropped. However, New Jersey Representative LaMonica McIver, who also participated in the routine oversight visit to Delaney Hall, was also arrested and falsely charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer. She is currently facing up to 17 years in federal prison.

Sources:

• “We are arresting the mayor right now, per the deputy attorney general” POLITICO, August 18, 2025.
• “‘It’s like they’re kidnapped there’: families tell of distress inside New Jersey ICE jail,” The Guardian, June 7, 2026.
• “What to Know About the Charges Against Rep. LaMonica McIver,” TIME, May 20, 2025.

• In May 2026, Todd Blanche announced the Trump administration’s proposed $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, which would have used our taxpayer dollars to pay people who said the government had “unfairly targeted them.” This was a blatant attempt to appease violent insurrectionists prosecuted for the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
• The proposed Anti-Weaponization Fund did not explicitly exclude members of the Trump family, Donald Trump’s political allies, or even individuals charged with violent crimes related to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, raising concerns among critics that it could function as a “slush fund” for Trump and his supporters.
• A federal judge later blocked the fund, finding that there were serious questions about whether the Trump administration had the legal authority to establish the program.

Sources:

• “5 takeaways from Todd Blanche’s Senate testimony on the Anti-Weaponization Fund,” CNN, May 19, 2026.
• “Blanche Faces Questions Over DOJ ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Fund,” Roll Call, May 19, 2026.
• “Blanche at center of Republican firestorm over $1.8B fund as he seeks to prove his loyalty to Trump,” Associated Press, May 22, 2026.

• In July, 2025, Todd Blanche personally interviewed convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell for 13 hours while serving as Deputy Attorney General.
• Just one week later, on August 1, 2025, Maxwell was transferred a minimum-security prison, the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas.
• The DOJ’s move appeared to give convicted sex trafficker Maxwell preferential treatment.
  

Sources:

• “Whitehouse Renews Demand for DOJ Documents Related to Unexplained Transfer of Ghislaine Maxwell to Cushier Prison,” Office of U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, June 25, 2026.

• The Justice Department, led by Pam Bondi and Todd Blanche, ignored the legal deadline in the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act to release all records related to Jeffrey Epstein on December 19, 2025.
• To date, Todd Blanche and the Justice Department continue to violate the law by withholding records that the Epstein Files Transparency Act required to be released, leaving thousands of Jeffrey Epstein files undisclosed.

Sources:

• “The Trump Administration Says It Won’t Meet the Deadline to Release All Epstein Files. Here’s Why,” TIME, December 19, 2025.

• In January 2026, Todd Blanche held a press conference claiming the Justice Department had only withheld Epstein records that contained images of death, physical abuse, or injury. That statement was false.
• The Justice Department has now been sued — and lost — over its mishandling of the Epstein files. 
• One of the most high-profile lawsuits was filed by journalist Katie Phang, who won a court ruling requiring the Justice Department to either release additional Epstein records or provide a legally sufficient explanation for withholding them. The judge set a deadline for Blanche and the Justice Department to comply or justify the redactions. Blanche ignored that court-ordered deadline.
• Blanche also appeared to have lied to Congress by telling senators he had met with Jeffrey Epstein survivors and many of their lawyers. Soon afterward, 17 Epstein survivors released a public statement saying, “Todd Blanche has not met with any of us.”

Sources:

• “More than 3 million new pages from the Epstein files are released by the DOJ,” The Guardian, January 30, 2026. 
• “Journalist Katie Phang sues acting attorney general Todd Blanche over Epstein files,” The Guardian, April 28, 2026. 
• “Epstein survivors urge Senate to reject Todd Blanche’s nomination over DOJ handling of victims,” CNN, June 11, 2026.

• During a May 19, 2026, Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Todd Blanche acknowledged that the Justice Department had “failed” to protect the privacy of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims.
• Despite promising to protect the identities of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, the Justice Department released approximately 3,900 Epstein files containing survivors’ names, photographs, and other personally identifying information.
• As a result, multiple survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation were identified online and have been subjected to abuse, harassment, and stalking, forcing many victims to relive their trauma.

Sources:

• “Todd Blanche conceded DOJ ‘failed’ Jeffrey Epstein’s victims by exposing their identities, judge finds,” Politico, June 25, 2026.
• “Epstein abused them. The Justice Department exposed them. Now they’re under attack,” Reuters, June 8, 2026.

• In April 2026, Todd Blanche indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) on bogus federal fraud charges, alleging that the group’s disbanded informant program, built to gather intel on extremist hate groups and warn police about violent plans, was instead used to pay infiltrators who stoked racial hatred.
• Todd Blanche’s and Justice Department’s prosecution of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has threatened the organization’s decades-long mission to monitor extremist hate groups and protect communities from political violence.
• Todd Blanche’s prosecution of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) could undermine efforts to identify and counter violent extremism at a time when white nationalist groups are becoming increasingly active across the United States — marching in the streets of our nation’s Capitol and in cities across the country — putting all of our lives at risk.

Sources:

• “Southern Poverty Law Center indicted on federal fraud charges,” NPR, April 21, 2026.
• “Neo-fascist group Patriot Front parades Confederate flag in Washington DC on Fourth of July,” The Guardian, July 4, 2026.

• During a May 19, 2026 Senate Appropriations hearing, Sen. Chris Van Hollen asked Todd Blanche whether he could commit to not recommending a pardon for convicted child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. Todd Blanche initially paused before responding, “I can commit to that, of course.”
• Todd Blanche’s visible hesitation raised questions about why the Trump administration and the Justice Department would ever consider a presidential pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell — the only person currently imprisoned for recruiting, grooming, and trafficking women and children for Jeffrey Epstein’s network of abuse.
• Donald Trump has also refused to rule out a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell. When asked whether he would pardon Ghislaine Maxwell, Donald Trump responded, “Well, I’m allowed to give her a pardon, but nobody’s approached me with it. Nobody’s asked me about it.“

Sources:

• “Todd Blanche Says He Would Not Recommend a Pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell,” Politico, May 19, 2026.
• “Trump says he’s ‘allowed’ to pardon Ghislaine Maxwell but says no one has asked,” Politico, July 28, 2025.

• After becoming Acting Attorney General in April 2026, Todd Blanche said the Jeffrey Epstein files should not be “part of anything going forward” at the DOJ.
• Instead of committing to release the remaining Jeffrey Epstein records as required by law, Todd Blanche said the Justice Department should move on, even though thousands of Jeffrey Epstein records remain undisclosed.
• During his May 19, 2026 Senate confirmation hearing, Todd Blanche was asked whether the DOJ was still pursuing accountability for people connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking network. His response: “He’s dead.” Even though no associates or enablers have been charged or held accountable, Blanche suggested the investigation was effectively over.
• Todd Blanche made those comments even though Blanche’s boss, Donald Trump, had a personal and professional relationship with Jefrey Epstein for over a decade and is named in the Epstein files at least 38,000 times. Donald Trump’s deep ties to Epstein raise serious, unresolved questions that demand full transparency and accountability.

Sources:

• “A look at Todd Blanche, the ex-Trump lawyer who’s the president’s pick for acting attorney general,” CNN, April 3, 2026.
• “How Trump Appears in the Epstein Files,” The New York Times, February 1, 2026.
• “5 takeaways from Todd Blanche’s Senate testimony on the Anti-Weaponization Fund,” CNN, May 19, 2026.

• Though Todd Blanche recused himself, his Deputy Attorney General launched an seemingly vindictive investigation into E. Jean Carroll, a journalist who was sexually assaulted by Trump and who won two civil lawsuits against him.
• One jury found Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and another ordered Trump to pay Carroll $83.3 million for defamation.
• The DOJ’s criminal investigation alleges that Carroll committed perjury during the two civil lawsuits — a blatant attempt to get Trump off the hook for sex crimes and paying Carroll.
• At least 28 women have accused Donald Trump of various acts of sexual misconduct, including rape, assault, kissing and groping without consent, looking under women’s skirts, and walking in on naked pageant contestants.

Sources:

• “DOJ launches criminal probe into E. Jean Carroll, sources say,” ABC News, October 7, 2026. 
• “Donald Trump sexual misconduct allegations,” Wikipedia, accessed July 8, 2026.

• In July 2026, more than 1,200 former Justice Department employees who served under both Republican and Democratic presidents spoke out to urge the Senate to reject Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general.
• Former Justice Department officials have also accused Todd Blanche of putting loyalty to Donald Trump ahead of the Justice Department’s mission, creating a culture of fear within the department, and undermining the Justice Department’s independence.
• An independent Justice Department is essential to the rule of law because it must enforce federal laws based on the facts and the Constitution — not political pressure or personal loyalty to the president.

Sources:

• “Blanche nomination faces opposition from former DOJ officials, legal groups,” The Hill, February 24, 2026.