Trump plans to nominate Todd Blanche as permanent US attorney-general

President Donald Trump declared on Thursday his intention to nominate acting Attorney-General Todd Blanche for the permanent position, a move that would install his former personal lawyer as the nation's top law enforcement official. Trump announced the decision at a White House event, stating he had instructed his staff to initiate the process, which he anticipates will proceed swiftly.

Blanche, 51, assumed leadership of the Justice Department following Trump's dismissal of Pam Bondi in April. This change occurred amid tensions over the department's handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein and Trump's frustration with the department's perceived lack of forceful action against perceived political adversaries.

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He's acting attorney-general. Tomorrow. I'm instructing Dan (Scavino) and everybody else that's involved in that very complicated process, which is going to go, I think, very quickly, that we are going to make him permanent attorney-general.

However, Blanche's tenure has already encountered significant opposition from Republican senators and some White House aides. This dissent stems from the Justice Department's now-halted proposal to establish a $1.8 billion fund for victims of alleged government "weaponization." Confirmation of Blanche would necessitate broad Republican backing in the Senate, where the party holds a slim majority.

Despite bipartisan criticism and calls to codify the fund's termination, Trump expressed continued support for the initiative, calling it a "beautiful thing." When questioned about the fund's status, he deferred to lawyers, indicating uncertainty about whether it was terminated or merely on hold. Blanche himself had previously declined to commit to codifying a ban on the fund in writing.

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I love it. I think it's so important. The weaponization fund, as far as I'm concerned, was a beautiful thing.