Appearing Lawyer Common Todd Blanche traveled to Florida on Monday the place he met with a brand new prosecutor tapped to deal with one of the crucial vital circumstances to President Donald Trump — the investigation into former CIA director and Trump critic John Brennan.
The assembly comes as Blanche fights to show he’s the person to ship on Trump’s largest precedence: prosecuting the president’s political adversaries.
Lower than two weeks in, Blanche has taken public steps towards delivering on Trump’s agenda by making adjustments to the staff investigating Brennan, releasing a much-anticipated report on anti-abortion protests, and overseeing an effort to vacate the convictions of members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers concerned within the January 6, 2021, assault on the US Capitol.
Trump has counseled Blanche’s work as performing lawyer normal to date, and, in keeping with present and former administration officers who spoke to CNN, the job seems to be his to lose.
However officers say Blanche should nonetheless cope with most of the hurdles that plagued the tenure of former Lawyer Common Pam Bondi earlier than her current firing.
Like Bondi, he should face low morale amongst prosecutors and the persistent controversy surrounding the discharge of the Jeffrey Epstein information.
The excessive profile prosecutions of Trump’s political foes should survive judges and grand juries who’ve to date rebuffed most of the makes an attempt.
And buy-in from profession prosecutors tasked with the investigations isn’t assured.
“There are a lot of prosecutors on the market who’re against the president’s agenda and are usually not occupied with doing the sorts of circumstances which might be vital to the White Home,” Civil Rights Division Chief Harmeet Dhillon just lately advised CNN.
Blanche must face these challenges whereas different prime Justice Division officers try and show their skill to hold out Trump’s agenda if he can not.
Whereas in Florida to talk at a authorized occasion Monday, Blanche met with Jason Reding Quiñones, the US lawyer for the southern district of Florida; justice official Christopher-James DeLorenz; and newly put in Counselor to the Lawyer Common Joseph diGenova, in keeping with a Justice Division official. The assembly had not beforehand been reported.
DiGenova will now work on the investigation into Brennan, which is targeted on one of many president’s longest standing political grievances — the 2017 intelligence evaluation that discovered Russia interfered within the 2016 presidential election to assist him.
For Trump, prosecutions like Brennan’s — and the pursuit of debunked claims of a stolen 2020 election — are prime of thoughts. He beforehand complained on to Justice Division officers that he has not been happy with the slow-moving progress.
Some prosecutions that did transfer alongside shortly since fell aside. In November, a federal decide dismissed the costs towards New York Lawyer Common Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey. The Justice Division tried a number of occasions to re-indict James, however didn’t persuade a grand jury to convey expenses.
In February, a grand jury rejected felony expenses towards six Democratic lawmakers who posted a video urging service members to defy unlawful orders from the Trump administration.
The job of delivering on Trump’s agenda took a toll on Bondi, who sources said believed that she was at occasions being requested to do the unattainable.
Bondi declined to remark for this story.
When she first took workplace, she fashioned the “Weaponization Working Group” which was tasked with investigating actions by prosecutors through the earlier administrations who Trump officers allege had been politically motivated.
Their targets embody the circumstances introduced by James, in addition to former particular counsel Jack Smith, and the sprawling prosecution towards these concerned within the US Capitol riot. The group was tasked with issuing public reviews that might assist felony expenses.
By the point Bondi left workplace in early April, nonetheless, the group had not produced a single report.
Affiliate Lawyer Common Stan Woodward, the second highest rating official on the Division, defended the tempo of the weaponization group work to CNN.
“It’s incumbent upon us to not merely label these travesties as weaponization, however to show it and go discover the proof of weaponization,” he mentioned. “And that takes time.”
In his first week in workplace, Blanche oversaw the discharge of the group’s first report — one which alleged the Biden Justice Division was biased in the way it went after abortion protesters. The division fired 4 prosecutors who labored on the circumstances.
The report was important to some Republicans, however the group nonetheless has not produced something associated to the folks whose investigations resulted in felony expenses towards the president.
“Half of the cause the weaponization work has been troublesome is that you simply want individuals who are MAGA and who’re actually competent,” mentioned Chad Mizelle, former chief of employees for Bondi. “Many profession prosecutors are not occupied with this type of work. It’s a really small group of individuals.”
Mizelle labored alongside Blanche and notes that even when the Justice Division can convey a case towards one in every of Trump’s political adversaries, they are going to be up towards prime protection attorneys.
In the long run, although, Mizelle mentioned he’s “assured” Blanche shall be profitable in these prosecutions.
As for profession prosecutors who could resist these sorts of investigations, it might need to do with the energy of these circumstances, mentioned CNN Senior Authorized Analyst Elie Honig.
“DOJ prosecutors typically don’t draw back from difficult, boldface circumstances; if something, they’re extra prone to be drawn in the direction of high-stakes issues,” mentioned Honig, a former state and federal prosecutor. “So whenever you see profession, nonpolitical prosecutors expressing doubts about sure circumstances with political overtones, that’s sometimes as a result of they merely don’t see the proof to assist a felony cost. DOJ prosecutors are aggressive however they’re not reckless, and so they gained’t convey a cost that they don’t consider will stick.”
However in an administration that has seen a rift between these devoted to conventional conservatism and diehard Trump loyalism that has grow to be known as being “MAGA,” some nonetheless query whether or not Blanche is prepared to do what it takes to ship on what the president needs.
One senior administration official questioned whether or not Blanche has carried out sufficient to assist the MAGA motion.
“Todd is working the present at DOJ, however he has not carried out sufficient to assist MAGA,” the official mentioned.
Others disagree.
“Todd Blanche put the whole lot on the road to defend President Trump for a few years, together with representing President Trump in court docket every day for a few years,” mentioned Mike Davis, a longtime Trump authorized adviser. “He doesn’t must show his MAGA credentials to anybody.”
The MAGA base has repeatedly criticized the division’s dealing with of the Epstein information.
In February 2025, Bondi advised Fox Information that the Epstein shopper listing — which the division later mentioned there was no proof of ever present — was sitting on her desk. Her division additionally hyped “Epstein binders” of data and handed them out to MAGA influencers, however in the long run that preliminary launch contained data that was already within the public area.
As Bondi repeatedly stumbled, Blanche turned the division’s main spokesman on the investigation and finally oversaw the discharge of thousands and thousands of paperwork.
His controversial visit to Ghislaine Maxwell in July 2025 and his assertion that no expenses are anticipated within the Epstein matter until new data comes ahead had additionally confronted scrutiny.
“To start with, the Epstein scenario was the unique sin of this Justice Division and Todd doesn’t get us away from that,” mentioned senior administration official
The Justice Division, although, has defended its Epstein efforts.
“The Appearing Lawyer Common met final yr with Ghislaine Maxwell and her lawyer as a result of she had by no means met with regulation enforcement, and it was within the public curiosity to find out if she had data that had beforehand not been shared. All the interview is publicly accessible,” a Justice Division official mentioned just lately.
“As for the file manufacturing, all information conscious of the regulation had been launched after reviewing thousands and thousands of paperwork in a really quick timeframe to adjust to the Act,” the official mentioned. “Regardless of it being a preferred speaking level on social media, any Lawyer Common will see the identical, that each one information have been launched.”
If Blanche can not fulfill the president, there are a number of high-profile Justice Division officers who seem poised to step-in.
Over the previous couple of months, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro — a well known TV character with a direct line to the president — has sought the limelight.
She arrange a tip line for any data relating to former Rep. Eric Swalwell amid allegations of sexual abuse, and he or she held a press convention scorching a federal decide for blocking DOJ subpoenas towards Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
Pirro’s skill to function with extra autonomy than different US attorneys — at occasions having surprised the White House together with her work — has raised questions on whether or not she’s auditioning for the lawyer normal job.
In response to options that she could need to step into the position, Pirro issued a press release to CNN saying: “As United States Lawyer for D.C., I’ve seen firsthand the competence, expertise, and management skill of Todd Blanche. With over 15 years within the Division of Justice and a singular relationship with the president, he’s the most effective individual to run the Division of Justice.”
Dhillon, the hard-charging civil-rights chief, has additionally been floated as a attainable decide for the job. She has labored to reshape the division to concentrate on reversing DEI initiatives and focusing on antisemitism.
She advised CNN, “Todd is the President’s alternative and I absolutely assist it. I’ve an excellent working relationship with him. He’s very supportive of rank and file and profession attorneys within the constructing at important justice.”
In line with the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, Blanche can serve within the position of performing lawyer normal for as much as 210 days, so the place doesn’t should be completely stuffed till November.
Even when Blanche will get the job, Trump’s previous attorneys normal have all, finally, been fired, changed, or resigned.
If he doesn’t get the job, although, Blanche recently told reporters he gained’t maintain it towards the president.
“If he chooses to appoint any person else and asks me to go do one thing else, I’ll say: ‘Thanks very a lot, I like you, sir.’”
