Blanche Campaigns for Permanent AG Role By Targeting Trump’s Foes

May 5

NEWS & RESEARCH

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is aggressively pursuing President Trump’s "payback" priorities to secure his permanent appointment and silence MAGA critics who previously accused him of slow-walking prosecutions. Since succeeding Pam Bondi, Blanche has accelerated investigations into high-profile adversaries, including former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI Director James Comey, and Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis, while also moving to vacate convictions for Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. Blanche’s status as a Senate-confirmed "unleashed" executor of the president’s agenda makes him the primary contender to lead the Justice Department, even as legal experts warn that his politically charged cases face significant hurdles in court.

SOURCES: New York Times | Democracy Docket | MS NOW

ANALYSIS & OPINION

In his second run as President, Donald Trump has systematically undertaken a "campaign of retribution" against hundreds of perceived political enemies. Acting AG Todd Blanche, Trump’s former defense counsel, is positioning his campaign to remove the “Acting” label by pursuing indictments against figures like Letitia James and James Comey. In so doing, the Administration critics charge the Administration is creating a pervasive culture of fear. The scale of these actions suggests the Administration is using executive power as an instrument of personal vengeance.

SOURCES: The Hill | The Guardian