'Block Blanche' Campaign Launched After Trump Says He'll Nominate Acting AG to Lead DOJ

In a letter to US senators Thursday, more than two dozen legal and advocacy groups expressed their commitment to the rule of law and the independence of federal law enforcement as they urged the Senate to reject President Donald Trump's impending nomination of acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche to officially take the helm of the Department of Justice.Considering that Blanche previously directly represented Trump as his defense attorney in three separate criminal cases, said the groups, which form the Not Above the Law Coalition, Blanche as attorney general would represent a new low, and an unprecedented corruption of the institution itself.In 2023, Blanche left his law firm to become Trump's personal criminal defense attorney across three concurrent cases: the hush money trial, the federal classified documents case, and matters related to January 6th, wrote the coalition, which includes Democracy Defenders Fund, End Citizens United, and Public Citizen. For two years, he had one job: Keep local, state, and federal investigators away from his client Donald Trump, and in particular, to shield Trump from the Justice Department.Now he controls that very federal agency, said the organizations, noting that he still operates as Trump's lawyer.Since joining the administration—first as deputy attorney general serving alongside former Attorney General Pam Bondi, and then taking over for her in an acting capacity after she was fired—Blanche has refused to recuse himself from all matters pertaining to Trump, considering his former work representing the president; boasted that the FBI cleaned house after firing career prosecutors who had been involved in investigating Trump; filed motions to vacate seditious conspiracy convictions of several people who attacked the US Capitol on January 6; and created a since-blocked 1.8 billion slush fund meant to disburse money to Trump's allies due to what the president views as unfair prosecutions. The only thing that changed when Blanche walked into the DOJ is that now the American people are paying the bill while he weaponized the department against Trump’s perceived enemies and cut deals for his boss. Blanche has also played a major role in weaponizing the DOJ against Trump's perceived enemies, including the Southern Poverty Law Center and former FBI Director James Comey, both of whom he obtained indictments for.The Not Above the Law Coalition said the Block Blanche campaign launched by the letter would target senators who show willingness to confirm the compromised nominee.The co-chairs of the group—including Lisa Gilbert of Public Citizen, Praveen Fernandes of the Constitutional Accountability Center, Kelsey Herbert of MoveOn, and Brett Edkins of Stand Up America—emphasized that Blanche is not America's attorney general.He was Donald Trump's criminal defense lawyer and personal fixer before working for the Justice Department, and he never stopped, they said. The only thing that changed when Blanche walked into the DOJ is that now the American people are paying the bill while he weaponized the department against Trump’s perceived enemies and cut deals for his boss. Every senator took an oath to support and defend the Constitution, and honoring that oath means using the Senate's confirmation authority to protect the independence of federal law enforcement, the co-chairs added. We're here to remind them of this duty to our nation.The groups added that Blanche's conduct and the announcement of his nomination make clear that former Attorney General Pam Bondi wasn't removed because she crossed a line. She was removed because she didn't cross enough of them. Blanche's appointment escalates the weaponization of the DOJ beyond what even Bondi would execute.The Senate has a constitutional obligation to answer one question, said the groups. Does the Justice Department serve the American people, or does it serve Donald Trump?