Fact Sheet on Todd Blanche's Devastating Leadership at the Justice Department
Todd Blanche was confirmed as Deputy Attorney General on March 5, 2025, and became Acting Attorney General on April 2, 2026 – but he has never stopped acting as President Trump's personal lawyer. Under his leadership, more than 16,000 DOJ employees have left the department, including a quarter of its attorneys. He has overseen the termination of approximately 280 employees, including agents, attorneys, and professional staff who worked on January 6 cases and the Special Counsel Jack Smith investigations.
Below is a list of actions Blanche has taken as Deputy Attorney General and Acting Attorney General that harmed the department's workforce, advanced the politicization of the department, undermined the rule of law, and threatened public safety.
Loyalty to President Trump
Feb. 19, 2026: News breaks that a top aide to Deputy Attorney General Blanche told leaders of all 93 U.S. Attorney's Offices that President Trump is their "chief client."
April 11, 2026: Acting Attorney General Blanche tells NBC that Americans should be "happy" that President Trump is deeply involved in DOJ matters.
April 27, 2026: Acting Attorney General Blanche signed a motion asking a federal judge to allow White House ballroom construction to move forward, mimicking the writing style of President Trump.
May 19, 2026: Acting Attorney General Blanche signs an addendum expanding the Trump v. IRS settlement to bar the IRS from conducting tax audits of President Trump, his family, and his company.
Devastating DOJ's Workforce
March 25, 2025: Deputy Attorney General Blanche issues a memo proposing the merger of ATF and DEA, and cutting staff in Criminal Division and National Security Division offices.
April 5, 2025: Deputy Attorney General Blanche puts Erez Reuveni on administrative leave over his representation of the government in the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case.
April 9, 2025: Deputy Attorney General Blanche issues a memo barring DOJ employees from participating in American Bar Association events.
Feb. 12, 2026: Deputy Attorney General Blanche fires Donald Kinsella hours after Kinsella was appointed to lead the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York.
Political Prosecutions and Investigations
Sept. 25, 2025: Deputy Attorney General Blanche's office directs multiple U.S. Attorney's Offices to investigate George Soros' Open Society Foundations.
April 21, 2026: DOJ indicts the Southern Poverty Law Center for allegedly defrauding donors.
April 28, 2026: The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina indicts former FBI Director James Comey.
A full account of the attacks on DOJ during Blanche's leadership can be found in Justice Connection's DOJ Tracker.
