Blanche backs Boutros as ‘Broadview Six’ case unravels

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche publicly supported U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros, pointing to a rise in Chicago-area indictments as federal prosecutors face mounting scrutiny over the collapse of the “Broadview Six” case tied to Operation Midway Blitz. The

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche took to social media Thursday to affirm his support for U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros, praising the Northern District of Illinois leader’s work as questions sharpened over how the “Broadview Six” case was secured from grand jurors.

Blanche wrote that the Justice Department “fully supports U.S. Attorney Boutros and his efforts to combat violent crime, drug trafficking, immigration violations, and fraud,” adding, “we look forward to more great work from his office.”

The show of backing landed as Boutros’ office remains under intense scrutiny following the collapse of “Broadview Six. ” a set of felony conspiracy charges tied to Operation Midway Blitz. the aggressive Trump administration deportation campaign that hit Chicago last fall. Prosecutors had charged the group last year; the case against them fell apart last month amid claims of prosecutorial misconduct.

For Boutros, the moment is especially tense because his office has also struggled to secure convictions in cases connected to Operation Midway Blitz. At times, his prosecutors have faced difficulty convincing grand jurors to hand up indictments—an outcome that had become once-rare as a rebuke.

Blanche’s support comes shortly after President Donald Trump said this week he will nominate Blanche to be the nation’s top law enforcement official, a role Blanche has been filling on a temporary basis.

Boutros responded by thanking Blanche in a statement, saying that during his 14-month tenure in Chicago he and his team “fixed” an office “that was doing less than even the bare minimum” before he arrived.

Boutros pointed to the office’s historic corruption conviction of former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, which was reached two months before Boutros took over. Madigan’s conviction was the culmination of an aggressive federal investigation that spanned more than a decade.

The political pressure on Boutros has grown alongside the legal fights. A chorus of local Democratic elected officials has called on him to resign, including U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth; U.S. Reps. Mike Quigley and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia; Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton; and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss. Stratton is the Democratic nominee for Senate, and Biss is the Democratic nominee for the 9th Congressional District.

Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor, joined the calls Thursday, writing on social media that Boutros “must resign immediately. … He has betrayed the trust of the public, and he has sullied the reputation of the office.”

The push for resignation also has direct roots in the “Broadview Six” itself. At least four members of the group—those charged by Boutros’ office with felony conspiracy—have demanded he step down after the case collapsed last month.

Charged in the case were former congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, Oak Park village trustee Brian Straw, former Cook County Board candidate Catherine “Cat” Sharp, 45th Ward Democratic committeeperson Michael Rabbitt, musician Joselyn Walsh, and onetime Abughazaleh campaign worker Andre Martin.

Abughazaleh, Rabbitt, Sharp and Straw have all called for Boutros to quit. Their defense attorneys filed a new motion Thursday seeking evidence about what happened in their case, including any record of Boutros’ office communicating with Blanche or Associate Deputy Attorney General Aakash Singh.

Boutros. in his statement. rejected the criticism and said he would not forget those who stood by him “when others capitalized on the opportunity to attempt to destabilize the office. distract us from our mission. and wreak discord among our once-united [federal prosecutor] and law enforcement community under the guise that they love or even really care about this incredible and storied office.”.

The legal record in the case has also fueled a widening dispute about timing and transparency.

Boutros told U.S. District Judge April Perry last month that he didn’t know until late April about the improprieties that eventually caused the “Broadview Six” case to collapse on May 21. Defense attorneys. however. have accused Boutros’ office of a “cover-up. ” saying the apparent misconduct was redacted out of transcripts given to Perry by prosecutors in late April.

This week. Boutros also acknowledged contact with grand jurors the day they handed up the indictment against the “Broadview Six”—after grand jurors had once rejected the case. He urged anyone “struggling with a certain type of cases. such as the immigration cases. ” to “raise your hand and identify yourself.”.

In parallel. Boutros’ office released a report describing what it called “grand jury disturbances and potential tension.” The report concluded that “grand juries unwilling to deliberate individually or as a collective body. or unwilling to attend grand jury sessions at all … are a threat to the rule of law.”.

Blanche, meanwhile, defended the overall direction of the office. He wrote that Boutros “has steadfastly advanced President Trump’s mission to make Chicago and Northern Illinois safe for the American people.” He also said indictments have increased under Boutros.

Criminal cases filed in Chicago’s federal court rose 32% from 2024 to 2025, records show. Boutros did not take office until April 2025, when he was temporarily appointed by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi. Chicago’s federal judges later selected Boutros to serve on a more permanent basis.

Blanche pointed to prosecutions of individuals tied to the Sinaloa drug cartel. including the guilty plea in December of Joaquin Guzman Lopez. the son of drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera. But the prosecution of Guzman Lopez predates Boutros’ tenure as U.S. attorney; it was part of a collaboration between federal prosecutors in southern California and the Justice Department’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section.

Boutros’ office did secure an indictment in March against an alleged Sinaloa boss.

Blanche also praised Boutros for an illegal gun possession charge filed April 2 against Jose Medina. a man with no legal status in the United States accused of killing Loyola University Chicago freshman Sheridan Gorman. Medina faces murder charges in state court. and he has yet to be arraigned. or indicted. on the federal gun charge.

As calls for Boutros to resign intensify and defense filings continue to press for records about communications and alleged misconduct. Blanche’s public support sharpens the question at the center of the dispute: whether the office’s rising caseload and efforts to fight crime can stand alongside claims that the “Broadview Six” case was derailed by prosecutorial failures—and whether Boutros remains the right person to lead through that turmoil.

Todd Blanche Andrew Boutros Broadview Six Operation Midway Blitz Justice Department U.S. attorney Chicago federal court grand jury prosecutorial misconduct Sheridan Gorman Jose Medina