Trump nominates personal lawyer Todd Blanche as permanent attorney general

Summary

Todd Blanche, the 57-year-old attorney who spent years defending Donald Trump across multiple federal criminal cases, is now nominated to permanently lead the Justice Department he has run on an acting basis since April. Trump fired his previous attorney general, Pam Bondi, earlier this year, and Blanche stepped into the interim role before receiving this formal nomination. The move sets up a Senate confirmation fight that promises to be contentious even within Republican ranks: some GOP senators have already expressed wariness about his close personal ties to the president and the potential conflicts of interest those ties create. Blanche would inherit a department deep in politically charged investigations and prosecutions, having already guided it through a series of significant moves during his months as acting AG. Confirmation hearings are expected to draw intense scrutiny of a figure whose entire recent career has been intertwined with defending the man now nominating him as the nation's top law enforcement officer. It is a strikingly unusual arrangement, and the Senate will have to decide whether that proximity to the president is a qualification or a disqualifying conflict.