Trump to Nominate Acting AG Todd Blanche for Permanent DOJ Role
The nomination of Blanche, who previously served as Trump's personal defense attorney, places a former client-counsel relationship at the center of the nation's top law enforcement post — a...
President Trump announced on June 4, 2026, that he intends to nominate acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to permanently lead the Department of Justice, according to a statement reported by Fox News. The announcement follows the departure of Pam Bondi, whom Trump fired from the position. Blanche has been serving in an acting capacity pending a permanent appointment.
Blanche's path to the acting role and now the formal nomination carries a notable prior-relationship dimension. Before joining the administration, Blanche served as Trump's personal defense attorney in federal criminal proceedings, including the 2024 New York hush-money case in which Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts (Manhattan District Attorney's Office case record, People v. Trump, Ind. No. 71543-23) and the federal documents case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith, which was later dismissed. Blanche represented Trump in both matters before transitioning to a government role.
The nomination requires Senate confirmation under 28 U.S.C. § 503. Blanche's confirmation hearing, if scheduled, would be conducted before the Senate Judiciary Committee. As of June 4, 2026, no hearing date has been publicly announced by the committee. The Senate Judiciary Committee's official calendar, accessible at judiciary.senate.gov, would be the authoritative source for scheduling information once available.
The formal nomination package, once submitted to the Senate, will be recorded in the Congressional Record and tracked on congress.gov. That package will include Blanche's financial disclosure form, filed pursuant to the Ethics in Government Act, and any written responses to pre-hearing questions submitted by committee members — documents that are not yet publicly available as of this report's publication date.
What remains unknown at this time: the specific date Trump will transmit the formal nomination to the Senate, any recusal commitments Blanche may have made regarding matters in which he previously served as defense counsel, and the timeline for a confirmation vote. The Senate Judiciary Committee's written questionnaire responses, once submitted by Blanche, would address the recusal question directly and are the appropriate public record to consult.