Trump to – President Donald Trump says he intends to nominate Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on a permanent basis, while the Justice Department says it will not proceed with a planned $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund after intense bipartisan criticism.
When the dinner ended and the remarks were posted online, President Donald Trump made the central personnel message clear: he wants Todd Blanche to stay.
Trump said he plans to nominate Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to officially lead the Justice Department. describing Blanche as the “permanent attorney general” in remarks from a June 3 private dinner at the White House Rose Garden. The president made the announcement in a video of the event posted on social media by Dan Scavino. White House deputy chief of staff.
Blanche’s name is already tied to a fast-moving political reshuffle at the top of the Justice Department. He was elevated from deputy attorney general to interim AG after Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi in April.
Trump’s next step now depends on the Senate. Blanche would need confirmation from the Senate to become attorney general in a permanent role. Republicans hold a 53-47 seat majority in the Senate, but Democrats are working to regain control of the chamber in the November midterm elections.
His confirmation prospects are colliding with another high-salience decision inside the Justice Department: the fate of the so-called “anti-weaponization” fund.
After intense bipartisan criticism. Blanche told Congress this week that the Justice Department would not move forward with a planned $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate people who claimed they were treated unfairly by justice departments of Democratic administrations. The fund’s premise was straightforward, but its political and legal implications were not.
Critics said the mechanism could function as a way to funnel money to Trump allies. They also raised concerns about whether dollars could end up going to people who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Under pressure, the department ultimately backed away from the plan.
The sequencing of the decisions—Trump publicly seeking a permanent Justice Department leader while the department steps back from a politically charged compensation program—puts pressure on both. The Senate math matters for Blanche’s future. So does the question of what happens next for anyone hoping to see the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund proceed.
In the background, Trump’s own political timeline keeps looming. With midterms set for November and party control of the Senate at stake, Blanche’s path to a confirmed job may be shaped as much by election politics as by the Justice Department’s internal direction.
Donald Trump Todd Blanche attorney general nomination Senate confirmation DOJ Pam Bondi anti-weaponization fund DOJ drops fund Jan. 6 Capitol riot White House Rose Garden Dan Scavino