Trump Expected to Nominate Todd Blanche as Attorney General

The nomination, if submitted, would convert Blanche's acting role into a Senate-confirmed position — a distinction with legal and institutional consequences for the Justice Department's long-term...

President Donald Trump is expected to formally nominate Todd Blanche to serve as Attorney General of the United States, according to a report published June 4, 2026, by Politico. Blanche has been serving in the position on an acting basis since April 2026, following a period in which he served as Trump's personal defense attorney in federal criminal proceedings.

Blanche's tenure as acting Attorney General began after Trump's previous confirmed or acting leadership at the Justice Department departed. The specific date of Blanche's appointment to the acting role and the mechanism of that appointment — whether via the Federal Vacancies Reform Act or direct presidential designation — have not been confirmed in publicly available records as of this writing. The relevant document that would establish the precise legal authority would be a White House personnel action or Office of Personnel Management record.

Prior to his Justice Department role, Blanche served as lead defense counsel for Trump in United States v. Trump, the federal case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith concerning alleged mishandling of classified documents and the January 6, 2021 Capitol breach. That case was dismissed in 2024 by the Justice Department following Trump's election victory, per court docket records in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

A formal nomination to the position of Attorney General requires Senate confirmation under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution. As of June 4, 2026, no nomination has been formally transmitted to the Senate, according to the publicly available Senate Executive Calendar. Once submitted, the nomination would be referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which would schedule confirmation hearings before a full Senate floor vote.

Key facts that remain unknown include the precise date Trump intends to submit the nomination, whether any Senate Judiciary Committee members have publicly stated a position on Blanche's confirmation, and the full scope of any policy directives Blanche has issued during his acting tenure. The Justice Department's public guidance documents and Federal Register notices would be the relevant records to consult for the latter question.