Donald Trump nominated Todd Blanche — his personal criminal defense attorney across three criminal cases — for attorney general in June 2026, after firing Pam Bondi on April 2. Blanche has been serving as acting AG since that same day. The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled hearings for July 15 and 16. On July 7, Justice Connection delivered a letter signed by 1,205 former DOJ officials from 14 administrations, urging the Senate to reject him. Lawyers for Good Government followed with a separate letter from 2,649 attorneys. Three Republican senators — John Cornyn of Texas, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — have all said publicly they aren't sure yet how they'll vote.

1. He Deserves Confirmation (Senate Judiciary Chair Grassley, 23 State AGs)

Supporters say Blanche has a record of results and earned a permanent appointment.

Blanche has results to point to. Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley says Blanche has spent 18 months "supporting President Trump's mission of law and order" as both deputy and acting AG and "is prepared to build on that success." Twenty-three state attorneys general — led by Montana AG Austin Knudsen — backed Blanche in a letter to the Senate, citing his collaboration with states on fraud, gang enforcement, and violent crime.

Every Republican senator already voted to confirm Blanche once. That was as his Deputy AG in March 2025. Supporters say that vote already answered the question of whether Blanche can separate his personal-lawyer past from a federal role.

2. But He Has to Prove He Works for the Country, Not Trump (Sens. Cornyn, Tillis, Cassidy)

Skeptical Republicans aren't opposed to Blanche — they want him to demonstrate independence at the hearings.

Cassidy put the concern directly. He told reporters: "I have to be convinced that Todd is not the president's personal attorney who happens to be attorney general, but that Todd is the attorney general who used to be the president's personal attorney."

A $1.776 billion settlement has become the main obstacle. In May, Blanche's DOJ announced an "anti-weaponization fund" as part of a settlement with Trump, which would have shielded Trump, his family, and their businesses from IRS audits going forward. Republican senators erupted. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) called the closed-door briefing "one of the roughest meetings I've seen in my entire time in the Senate." Blanche publicly canceled the anti-weaponization fund — but he refused to put that cancellation in writing and left the IRS audit immunity for Trump and his family intact.

Cornyn and Tillis will watch the hearings, then decide. Cornyn said he needs to see "how he would approach the job" — noting that Blanche was Trump's personal lawyer once, but if confirmed, he won't be. Tillis warned that if he catches "even a whiff" that DOJ is protecting Trump's personal interests, it'll affect his vote. Both are outgoing senators who won't face re-election.

3. His Record Already Disqualifies Him (1,205 DOJ Alums, Lawyers for Good Government)

These critics say the hearings don't matter — Blanche's conduct as acting AG is the answer.

The 1,205 signatories say Blanche has already disqualified himself. They wrote that he "took the same oath, but has utterly failed to abide by it." The letter includes former U.S. Attorneys, component heads, and FBI senior leaders from Democratic and Republican administrations.

Critics bring a long list of specific charges. Under Blanche, the DOJ subpoenaed four New York Times journalists to reveal sources for stories about security shortcomings on the Qatari-gifted presidential jet. DOJ's own written policy requires attorney general sign-off before subpoenaing reporters. The DOJ released Epstein files that exposed victims' names, photos, and passports without proper redaction; a federal court found the DOJ mishandled the files. Former DOJ Pardon Attorney Liz Oyer wrote to the Senate Judiciary Committee that two U.S. Marshals showed up at her home to discourage her from testifying to Congress. The DOJ closed more than 23,000 pending criminal cases — including terrorism and white-collar cases — to prioritize immigration enforcement.

Blanche dismissed the DOJ alums' letter in Alaska on July 8. He told reporters: "There's 1,200 former DOJ employees, I think, out of what — 40,000? I don't know. I'm not a math guy, but that's not a very high percentage." Lawyers for Good Government executive director Traci Feit Love put the opposition's case plainly: "Todd Blanche isn't America's Attorney General. He is Donald Trump's personal fixer with a federal badge."

Where This Lands

Grassley and 23 state AGs are in Blanche's corner. Three Republican holdouts — Cornyn, Tillis, and Cassidy — say the July 15 hearings are where they'll make up their minds. Over 1,200 DOJ veterans and a coalition of civil rights and legal organizations say they've already decided: his record as acting AG disqualifies him. And Blanche himself has noted that he may be able to stay on as acting AG for the rest of Trump's term even without Senate confirmation.

Sources