LDF Urges U.S. Senate to Block Confirmation of Todd Blanche as U.S. Attorney General

Read a PDF of our statement here.

Todd Blanche will appear before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on July 15 for a confirmation hearing. President Trump formally nominated Todd Blanche on June 8 to serve as U.S. Attorney General. Blanche was elevated to Acting Attorney General in April after Trump fired his predecessor, Pamela Bondi.

Blanche is best known for his stint as Trump's personal lawyer and for his severe mishandling of the Epstein files. And as recently as Monday, a federal district court referred Blanche's distressing conduct in approving an IRS "settlement" with President Trump to New York State bar authorities for investigation. The Legal Defense Fund issued an opposition report this week to the Senate Judiciary Committee, urging Senators to firmly reject this nomination.

Ahead of the confirmation hearing, LDF President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson issued the following statement:

"Todd Blanche is wholly unqualified to lead the Department of Justice. His demonstrated hostility to civil rights, sycophantic allegiance to the President, and weaponization of the Justice Department's powers prove that he is unfit to serve as the nation's top law enforcement officer.

"Blanche's confirmation would further undermine the crisis of public confidence in our institutions and imperil any remaining independence of the Justice Department from political influence. At a time when the rule of law is under threat and the current administration has turned the powers of the federal government against the people and in favor of self-dealing, we need an Attorney General who will advance the time-honored mission to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights through the impartial administration of equal protection under the laws.

"The Senate must vote no on Blanche."

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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF)is the nation's first civil rights legal organization. LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957, though it was founded under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall while he was at the NAACP. LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI) is a division of LDF that undertakes innovative research and houses LDF's archive. In all media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF (do not include NAACP) and refer to the Institute as LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute or TMI.