Trump to nominate acting attorney general Todd Blanche to permanent post

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he will nominate Todd Blanche, his former personal lawyer and current acting attorney general, to serve as the nation's permanent chief law enforcement officer.

The nomination would permanently install Trump's former criminal defense attorney as head of the Justice Department, deepening concerns among Democrats and legal observers about the independence of federal law enforcement.

Trump made the announcement at a White House dinner in the Rose Garden on Wednesday, according to ABC7 Los Angeles, citing the Associated Press. "We are going to make him permanent attorney general," Trump said at the event. A White House aide posted the announcement on social media, and a formal nomination is planned for Thursday.

Blanche led Trump's criminal defense team across multiple legal proceedings, including the former president's hush money trial in New York. He was elevated to acting attorney general in April after Trump fired Pam Bondi over her failed efforts to prosecute political figures the president viewed as opponents.

Since taking charge of the Justice Department, Blanche proposed a $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" designed to compensate Trump's allies for what officials described as political persecution, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. The proposal was shelved earlier this week amid bipartisan backlash, partly because of controversy over whether participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot could be eligible for payment.

In April, former FBI Director James Comey was indicted over a social media photo of seashells that federal officials claimed constituted a threat to the president, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. Comey, who has called the case politically motivated, said he would not be surprised if the Justice Department pursues additional indictments against him.

Blanche also appointed Joseph diGenova, an 81-year-old former Justice Department prosecutor who served during the Reagan administration, to oversee a Florida-based investigation into alleged conspiracies against Trump, according to the report.

Democrats and critics have accused Blanche of acting as Trump's personal attorney rather than an independent attorney general, alleging a coordinated campaign of political retribution. Blanche will need Senate Republican support to win confirmation, and some GOP senators who opposed the scrapped Anti-Weaponization Fund could complicate his path.