Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has been in the top job for less than two months, but his impact is already drawing attention from both supporters and critics.
Among President Donald Trump’s allies, Blanche has developed a reputation for moving quickly and taking a more aggressive approach than his predecessor, former Attorney General Pam Bondi. According to several current and former Justice Department officials who spoke with the Daily Caller, Blanche’s extensive federal prosecutorial experience and his time serving as the department’s second-in-command have allowed him to hit the ground running.
“He knows how to uncork the bottle quickly and where the levers of power are in DOJ,” one former Justice Department official told the outlet.
Since taking over, Blanche has overseen a series of high-profile actions, including indictments involving the Southern Poverty Law Center and former FBI Director James Comey. He also approved a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” designed to compensate individuals who were allegedly targeted through politically motivated prosecutions.
Supporters point to the speed of those developments as evidence of Blanche’s effectiveness. However, many also note that several of the investigations and legal efforts were already underway before he assumed the role.
“Pam Bondi had to take all the slings and arrows to get where we are now. And now Todd is taking the baton, and he’s the next man up,” said Mike Davis, founder of the Article III Project and a longtime Trump ally.
Trump removed Bondi from the attorney general position in early April. At the time, a White House official told the Daily Caller there was no personal conflict between the president and Bondi, but that Trump wanted the Justice Department to pursue cases more aggressively.
Sources familiar with the situation said Bondi faced challenges adjusting to the federal system, having never served as a federal prosecutor before becoming attorney general. While critics questioned the pace of her tenure, supporters argue that much of her work focused on building the foundation for cases that would mature later.
Blanche entered the role with a different background. Before joining the Trump administration, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York and later represented Trump as a criminal defense attorney. He then became deputy attorney general, giving him direct familiarity with ongoing investigations and department operations.
“The advantage of a number two rising to become the acting number one is that you know where all the balls are in the air,” a former DOJ official told the Daily Caller. “Todd could immediately grab some of those balls and put them into play.”
Just 19 days after Bondi’s departure, Blanche appeared alongside FBI Director Kash Patel to announce an indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center. According to DOJ officials, the investigation had been progressing for some time, but Blanche’s leadership helped move it to completion.
A second major announcement followed when the department unveiled an indictment against former FBI Director James Comey related to a social media post featuring the numbers “8647,” which some interpreted as a threat toward the president.
Still, several observers cautioned against viewing the developments as entirely new initiatives. Hans von Spakovsky argued that much of the underlying work was already in progress before Bondi left office.
Davis echoed that view, saying major federal investigations require months of preparation and cannot simply be created overnight.
Questions remain about whether Blanche will eventually receive a permanent nomination. For now, however, the White House appears satisfied with his performance.
“President Trump has a great relationship with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and is very pleased with the job he’s doing so far,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Daily Caller.
As speculation continues about the department’s next moves, some Trump allies believe additional high-profile cases could be on the horizon. Davis said he expects future investigations to continue expanding under Blanche’s leadership, making the acting attorney general one of the administration’s most closely watched figures.
