Todd Blanche already was facing opposition as attorney general nominee, but NY Times report shows he has been leading Trump's retaliation campaign

Confirmation hearings for attorney general nominee Todd Blanche are set for today and tomorrow, and when a vote is taken at a time to be determined, we will know if the United States has become a lawless, rogue state. We also will know if any Republican senators still have functioning spines. What are my guesses at the outcomes on these issues? They are grim. I suspect the rule of law, already on life support, will flatline when Blanche is confirmed as the nation's top law-enforcement official. As for Republican senators showing spine, I'm not counting on it.

How bad a nominee is Blanche? All you need to know is this: In private life, he was Trump's personal attorney -- and as acting attorney general upon the ouster of Pam Bondi -- he has proven that he still is acting as Trump's personal attorney. Is Blanche likely to act in line with his oath of office? Let's answer that question by looking at the oath he took when he became acting attorney general:

"I, Todd Blanche, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God." 

Does that say Blanche is to act affirmatively on any Trump whim? No. Does it say Blanche is to prosecute any perceived political enemy Trump wants prosecuted? No. As for the last sentence in the oath, does Blanche even believe in God? In a religious sense, I'm sure Blanche would say, "Of course I believe in God." But in a political sense, Blanche has proven he is "all Trump, all the time" -- and he "shall put no other god above Trump." Blanche is the ultimate political loyalist, and that is the No. 1 trait (the only trait) Trump wants in any nominee. Will Blanche serve Trump? Yes, to the absolute hilt? Will he serve the duties of his job and the needs of the American people? Are you serious? They will be no consideration in any decision he makes. The White House essentially admitted as much in releasing the following statement about Blanche's nomination:

"President Trump has a great relationship with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and is very pleased with the job he’s doing so far. Todd Blanche is an American patriot who fearlessly fought against the Democrats’ unprecedented lawfare campaign on behalf of President Trump. The President’s entire team at the Department of Justice is doing a great job advocating for sanity, law and order, and policies that keep Americans safe."

Has an official statement ever contained that much mindless B.S. in one paragraph? I doubt it.

Blanche already looked like the worst AG candidate in U.S. history, but his look got even worse yesterday when The New York Times broke a story about emails that show Blanche is personally directing the effort to prosecute Trump's political enemies, apparently with no consideration for the constitutional standard of 'probable cause." A jointly published report at The Daily Beast and Yahoo! News examines the Times' findings under the headline "Emails reveal Todd Blanche spearheaded Trump's retribution campaign." Janna Brancolini writes:

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has been personally leading President Donald Trump's revenge campaign against his perceived enemies, according to a bombshell new report released in the lead-up to his Senate confirmation hearing.

Supporters of Blanche, who previously served as Trump's defense attorney, claim he has served as an important check on retribution crusades launched by the president's most provocative attack dogs, including the DOJ's Ed Martin and acting director of national intelligence Bill Pulte.

But just a day before Blanche's confirmation hearing to serve as Trump's permanent attorney general, The New York Times revealed that rather than being a calming influence on the administration, Blanche has been spearheading the president's retribution effort within the DOJ. 

That work began last year, when he served as his predecessor Pam Bondi's top deputy, and continued after Bondi's ousting in April, according to emails obtained by the watchdog group American Oversight and shared with The Times. 

How bad does Blanche look in all of this. The emails show that Blanche was compromised as a deputy AG and as acting AG. Does anyone seriously believe he is going to rediscover his respect for the rule of law once he becomes AG? Remember this guy is "all Trump, all the time," and that speaks volumes about who his master will be as head of the DOJ. Brancolini writes:

In particular, Blanche has been tasked with enacting Trump's executive order purporting to end the "weaponization" of the U.S. government, part of a major drive to punish members of prior administrations who tried to hold Trump legally accountable.

In May 2025, Blanche diverted top lawyers from his office to the DOJ "anti-weaponization" group responsible for investigating Trump's enemies, giving him tight control over the cases, the emails reveal.

One of Blanche's aides was responsible for digging into the actions of special counsel Jack Smith, who prosecuted Trump for allegedly mishandling classified documents and attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Another longtime Blanche aide was assigned to investigate Alvin L. Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney who secured convictions against Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records over his payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

A third Blanche aide led a team focused solely on Tina Peters, the Colorado elections clerk who served four years out of a nine-year sentence for violating state election laws in a bid to uncover "proof" of nonexistent fraud during the 2020 election. 

Here is a thought that seems to have never occurred to Blanche: Perhaps Trump (in the Stormy Daniels case) and his allies (Tina Peters in the Colorado voting case) ran afoul of the law because prosecutors made legitimate findings that laws had been violated, and Trump and Peters violated them. Brancolini writes:

Blanche also allowed Martin to personally oversee investigations into two of Trump's pet causes: the prosecutions of more than 1,500 Jan. 6 rioters—some of whom Martin had represented in court—and a probe into former President Joe Biden's autopen use.

But in May, Blanche removed Martin from his role with the anti-weaponization group. He had been concerned all along that Martin wasn't experienced or effective enough to do the job, the emails—which were handed over under the Freedom of Information Act—reveal.

Since then, the anti-weaponization group has ramped up its investigations and reports, even as regional U.S. attorneys' offices have begun trying to build a massive yet flimsy conspiracy case against Biden and other Trump adversaries, The Times reported.

Last week, a group of 1,205 Justice Department alums urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to reject Blanche's nomination, writing that "corruption and abuses… have defined" his tenure, and that he has "degraded" the DOJ's apolitical career workforce. 

Will senators listen? With Democrats, I suspect the answer is yes. They should be smart enough to know that Blanche is the quintessential Trump loyalist, and it's hard to imagine what any Dem might think he or she could gain by supporting Blanche. As for Republicans, they have proven they cannot govern -- and have little interest in governing -- so they are inclined to do whatever Trump wants. And Trump wants an AG he can fully control -- and that person is Todd Blanche. It's possible a handful of Republicans might display a conscience and vote no on Blanche. But I don't expect many to go that route.