U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled that he plans to nominate acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as the formal attorney general.
According to Britain's Guardian on the 3rd (local time), President Trump answered "I think so" when asked in an interview on the New York Post podcast "Pod Force One" whether the acting attorney general would become the formal attorney general.
Trump went on to praise him, saying, "He is a very talented man" and "he is doing a very excellent job at the Justice Department." Blanche has served as acting attorney general since former Attorney General Pam Bondi was ousted in April.
Trump also mentioned his intention to nominate Blanche at a private dinner held at the White House that day, CNN reported, citing sources. The nomination of Blanche is expected to take place as early as that day. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson also emphasized that "acting Attorney General Blanche is a patriot who courageously fought back against the Democrats' unprecedented legal offensive for President Trump."
Blanche forged his relationship with Trump in 2023 when he joined the defense team for Trump's criminal "hush money" case. Trump was indicted and convicted on charges of paying $130,000 (198 million won) just before the 2016 presidential election to prevent former adult film actress Stormy Daniels from disclosing a sexual relationship.
He also actively defended Trump's aides. He represented Boris Epshteyn, a longtime Trump confidant and top legal adviser, and succeeded in getting the state prosecution's indictment of Paul Manafort, Trump's 2019 campaign chairman, dismissed before trial.
This stance was maintained while he served as the interim head of the Justice Department. Under Blanche's leadership, the Justice Department indicted or expanded investigations into Trump's political adversaries, including former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan. He is also known to have played a key role in creating an "anti-weaponization fund" to compensate Trump aides who were judicial targets of the previous administration with $1.776 billion (2.71 trillion won). Facing fierce backlash, the Trump administration is taking steps to withdraw the fund.
