{"id":153721,"date":"2026-06-03T15:32:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T23:32:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/06\/03\/todd-blanche-is-your-new-attorney-general-probably\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T15:32:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T23:32:56","slug":"todd-blanche-is-your-new-attorney-general-probably","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/06\/03\/todd-blanche-is-your-new-attorney-general-probably\/","title":{"rendered":"Todd Blanche Is Your New Attorney General. Probably."},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Donald Trump confirmed (kinda) Tuesday what anyone paying attention to the Department of Justice has understood for the better part of two months: Todd Blanche is going to be the permanent Attorney General of the United States.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think he will, yeah,\u201d Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/live-updates_n_6a1d46a0e4b08a03cfb9a8f7\/liveblog_6a200d98e4b032392fa7727e\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">told reporters<\/a> when asked whether Blanche would get the job permanently. \u201cI wanted to see how he\u2019s received. You know, we put him as acting and he\u2019s done a very good job, but I\u2019ve known him a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not necessarily the most ringing endorsement, but hey! Blanche secured the bag. Making the man that <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2023\/04\/biglaw-partner-leaves-firm-to-represent-donald-trump-in-criminal-case\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">left Biglaw partnership<\/a> at Cadwalader to become Trump\u2019s full-time personal criminal defense attorney endure a probationary period is a wild bar to clear for someone that loyal, but Blanche pulled it off.<\/p>\n<p>To be fair, \u201chow he\u2019s received\u201d appears to have been the operative question all along. According to an earlier Wall Street Journal r<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/policy\/todd-blanche-is-wasting-no-time-in-his-audition-to-be-the-next-attorney-general-0e1247f0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">eport<\/a>, Trump had not decided on any permanent replacement for Bondi and was interested in seeing how Blanche performed in the role. And Blanche, to his considerable credit as a performer, has performed\u2026 relentlessly. He has performed with the energy of a man who knows exactly what\u2019s at stake and is not leaving anything in the green room.<\/p>\n<p>We have been watching the audition tape compile in real time. <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/04\/morning-docket-04-08-26\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">When Blanche got the acting designation<\/a>, he announced at his very first press conference that the DOJ\u2019s official position is that the president has a \u201cright\u201d to direct criminal investigations of his political enemies, establishing the central thesis of his tenure before his chair was even warm. <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/05\/todd-blanche-goes-full-what-sea-shellgate-case-now-that-everyones-making-fun-of-him\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">He announced the second Comey indictment with a full press conference<\/a>, standing proudly next to Kash Patel, before later attempting to claim he had no idea who the prosecutors involved were, a position complicated by the fact that he\u2019d introduced the man by name. <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/05\/todd-blanche-goes-on-tv-to-defend-voter-id-and-accidentally-reveals-he-has-never-been-to-a-restaurant\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">He went on television to defend voter ID laws and somehow managed to suggest that Americans are required to show identification to eat at restaurants,<\/a> apparently having absorbed the president\u2019s own legendary confusion about everyday commerce.<\/p>\n<p>He announced the <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/05\/the-doj-is-coming-for-reporters-todd-blanche-just-said-so-out-loud\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">DOJ was coming for journalists who published leaked information,<\/a> which\u2026 had strong \u201cAttorney General sizzle reel\u201d energy. <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/05\/president-trumps-personal-lawyer-todd-blanche-reminds-everyone-that-he-is-trumps-personal-lawyer\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">He got into a shouting match with Senator Van Hollen during Senate testimony<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/05\/todd-blanche-faces-new-york-bar-complaint-after-federal-judge-flags-vindictive-prosecution\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">He has spent months trying to insulate DOJ lawyers from state bar investigations<\/a>, which, given that he is now himself on the receiving end of a New York bar complaint over the Abrego Garcia prosecution, is a policy with obvious personal appeal.<\/p>\n<p>And through it all <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/05\/todd-blanches-kayfabe-comey-case\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">he has projected the wide-eyed sincerity<\/a> of a man who definitely believes everything he is saying and is not at all performing for an audience of one.<\/p>\n<p>If what we\u2019ve seen so far was the audition, the permanent run is going to be quite the ride. Buckle up.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong><em><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-80083 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/06\/IMG_5243-1-scaled-e1623338814705-620x568.jpg?resize=174%2C160&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"174\" height=\"160\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/1XC11QhFCWxWr4NQrk2sEA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">The Jabot podcast<\/a>, and co-host of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/legaltalknetwork.com\/podcasts\/thinking-like-a-lawyer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:kathryn@abovethelaw.com?subject=Your%20Column\">her<\/a>\u00a0with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kathryn1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">@Kathryn1<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/kathryn1.bsky.social\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@Kathryn1<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/06\/todd-blanche-is-your-new-attorney-general-probably\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Todd Blanche Is Your New Attorney General. Probably.<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Donald Trump confirmed (kinda) Tuesday what anyone paying attention to the Department of Justice has understood for the better part of two months: Todd Blanche is going to be the permanent Attorney General of the United States.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think he will, yeah,\u201d Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/live-updates_n_6a1d46a0e4b08a03cfb9a8f7\/liveblog_6a200d98e4b032392fa7727e\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">told reporters<\/a> when asked whether Blanche would get the job permanently. \u201cI wanted to see how he\u2019s received. You know, we put him as acting and he\u2019s done a very good job, but I\u2019ve known him a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not necessarily the most ringing endorsement, but hey! Blanche secured the bag. Making the man that <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2023\/04\/biglaw-partner-leaves-firm-to-represent-donald-trump-in-criminal-case\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">left Biglaw partnership<\/a> at Cadwalader to become Trump\u2019s full-time personal criminal defense attorney endure a probationary period is a wild bar to clear for someone that loyal, but Blanche pulled it off.<\/p>\n<p>To be fair, \u201chow he\u2019s received\u201d appears to have been the operative question all along. According to an earlier Wall Street Journal r<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/policy\/todd-blanche-is-wasting-no-time-in-his-audition-to-be-the-next-attorney-general-0e1247f0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">eport<\/a>, Trump had not decided on any permanent replacement for Bondi and was interested in seeing how Blanche performed in the role. And Blanche, to his considerable credit as a performer, has performed\u2026 relentlessly. He has performed with the energy of a man who knows exactly what\u2019s at stake and is not leaving anything in the green room.<\/p>\n<p>We have been watching the audition tape compile in real time. <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/04\/morning-docket-04-08-26\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">When Blanche got the acting designation<\/a>, he announced at his very first press conference that the DOJ\u2019s official position is that the president has a \u201cright\u201d to direct criminal investigations of his political enemies, establishing the central thesis of his tenure before his chair was even warm. <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/05\/todd-blanche-goes-full-what-sea-shellgate-case-now-that-everyones-making-fun-of-him\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">He announced the second Comey indictment with a full press conference<\/a>, standing proudly next to Kash Patel, before later attempting to claim he had no idea who the prosecutors involved were, a position complicated by the fact that he\u2019d introduced the man by name. <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/05\/todd-blanche-goes-on-tv-to-defend-voter-id-and-accidentally-reveals-he-has-never-been-to-a-restaurant\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">He went on television to defend voter ID laws and somehow managed to suggest that Americans are required to show identification to eat at restaurants,<\/a> apparently having absorbed the president\u2019s own legendary confusion about everyday commerce.<\/p>\n<p>He announced the <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/05\/the-doj-is-coming-for-reporters-todd-blanche-just-said-so-out-loud\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">DOJ was coming for journalists who published leaked information,<\/a> which\u2026 had strong \u201cAttorney General sizzle reel\u201d energy. <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/05\/president-trumps-personal-lawyer-todd-blanche-reminds-everyone-that-he-is-trumps-personal-lawyer\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">He got into a shouting match with Senator Van Hollen during Senate testimony<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/05\/todd-blanche-faces-new-york-bar-complaint-after-federal-judge-flags-vindictive-prosecution\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">He has spent months trying to insulate DOJ lawyers from state bar investigations<\/a>, which, given that he is now himself on the receiving end of a New York bar complaint over the Abrego Garcia prosecution, is a policy with obvious personal appeal.<\/p>\n<p>And through it all <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/05\/todd-blanches-kayfabe-comey-case\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">he has projected the wide-eyed sincerity<\/a> of a man who definitely believes everything he is saying and is not at all performing for an audience of one.<\/p>\n<p>If what we\u2019ve seen so far was the audition, the permanent run is going to be quite the ride. Buckle up.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong><em><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-80083 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/06\/IMG_5243-1-scaled-e1623338814705-620x568.jpg?resize=174%2C160&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"174\" height=\"160\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/1XC11QhFCWxWr4NQrk2sEA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">The Jabot podcast<\/a>, and co-host of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/legaltalknetwork.com\/podcasts\/thinking-like-a-lawyer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:kathryn@abovethelaw.com?subject=Your%20Column\">her<\/a>\u00a0with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kathryn1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">@Kathryn1<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/kathryn1.bsky.social\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@Kathryn1<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/06\/todd-blanche-is-your-new-attorney-general-probably\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Todd Blanche Is Your New Attorney General. Probably.<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Donald Trump confirmed (kinda) Tuesday what anyone paying attention to the Department of Justice has understood for the better part of two months: Todd Blanche is going to be the permanent Attorney General of the United States. \u201cI think he will, yeah,\u201d Trump told reporters when asked whether Blanche would get the job permanently. \u201cI [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":153722,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-153721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_5243-1-scaled-e1623338814705-620x568-hTGtzf.jpg?fit=620%2C568&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153721"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153721\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/153722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=153721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=153721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}