United States President Donald Trump has announced his intention to nominate his former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, as the permanent attorney general. Blanche currently serves as the acting head of the Justice Department following the dismissal of Attorney General Pam Bondi, who faced scrutiny over her handling of the release of investigative files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Blanche's Role and Actions
Since taking over, Blanche has overseen the department and pursued indictments against individuals Trump considers political opponents, including former FBI director James Comey. During a White House dinner, Trump told guests that he would formally nominate Blanche for the role. "Tomorrow, I'm instructing... that we are going to make him permanent attorney general," Trump said in remarks shared by White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino.
Controversial Compensation Fund
Blanche has also led the Justice Department during efforts to establish a proposed $1.8 billion compensation fund, which critics have described as a "slush fund" for Trump's political allies. The proposed fund emerged from a settlement linked to a lawsuit Trump filed against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), with an additional provision preventing the agency from investigating him over back-tax claims. Blanche later told Congress that the compensation fund would no longer move forward, although protections related to Trump's IRS arrangement would remain in place.
