From Trump's Attorney To The Epstein Files: Todd Blanche's Rise To Attorney General

Blanche besides represented Trump successful 2 national criminal cases. One was successful Florida, wherever he was being prosecuted connected charges that he improperly kept classified documents aft he near nan White House and past lied to investigators astir it.

That lawsuit was yet dismissed by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who recovered that typical counsel Jack Smith’s assignment was illegal.

The different was nan national predetermination interference case, which Smith brought against Trump successful Washington. That lawsuit and a Justice Department entreaty of Cannon’s determination were dropped aft Trump was re-elected.

Bondi said connected X that Blanche was “amazing” and that she’d activity straight pinch him connected nan transition.

Mimi Rocah, who worked pinch Blanche successful nan Southern District of New York, was initially hopeful astir his tenure arsenic lawman lawyer general, saying successful 2024 that he “believes successful nan imagination of nan Department of Justice to do nan correct thing, successful nan correct way, for nan correct reasons.”

She’s nary longer hopeful. Rocah told NBC News connected Thursday that Blanche had “shown successful his domiciled arsenic lawman AG that he is consenting to enactment much arsenic Donald Trump’s defense lawyer than a justness charismatic who defends his employees, seeks justness and tries to uphold nan norm of law.”

“I expect thing different from him successful this elevated role,” she added.

Stacey Young, a erstwhile Justice Department charismatic who founded nan group Justice Connection, which seeks to item Trump management changes to nan Justice Department, said that Blanche “has ne'er stopped seeing himself arsenic Donald Trump’s individual lawyer” and that he utilized his position “to illegally occurrence profession employees, smear whistleblowers and onslaught nan judiciary.”

“Time and again he has shown that his guiding prima is fealty to nan president, not upholding nan norm of law,” Young said.

Like Bondi, Blanche has been embroiled successful nan nationalist conflict complete nan Justice Department’s handling of its reappraisal of nan lawsuit against Jeffrey Epstein, nan politically connected activity offender who died by termination successful national lockup while he was awaiting trial connected activity trafficking charges successful 2019.

After immoderate of Trump’s supporters accused nan Justice Department of covering up for Epstein by announcing successful July that it wouldn’t prosecute anyone other successful nan lawsuit aliases merchandise immoderate much information, Blanche announced he was going to personally interview Epstein’s convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Epstein’s convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. Blanche announced he was going to personally question and reply her. House Committee On Oversight And Government Reform / via AP

In nan interview, Maxwell said she’d ne'er seen Trump behave inappropriately erstwhile he was friends pinch Epstein. She was subsequently moved to a lower-security facility. Blanche defended nan move arsenic basal for her safety.

Blanche besides took nan lead connected nan Justice Department’s merchandise of its Epstein files aft Congress passed nan Epstein Files Transparency Act. He announced successful December that nan Justice Department would merchandise hundreds of thousands of files, and past it released only a mini fraction of that amount.

The section made nationalist more files astatine nan extremity of January. Millions were withheld, astir of which Blanche said were duplicates, but astir 200,000 were held backmost aliases redacted for various ineligible reasons.

The law’s co-authors, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., person said that’s perchance a usurpation of nan enactment and that astir of that accusation should beryllium released. Blanche has said he’s complying pinch nan law.

During a podcast appearance, Blanche was asked astir Epstein and nan galore conspiracy theories that person swirled. He said he wasn’t a conspiracy theorist himself, but he said astir nan “beauty” and “importance” of them.

“When I opportunity I’m not a conspiracy theorist, it’s because if you beryllium 1 right, past it’s not a conspiracy theory; it’s wholly true,” he said.

After Trump’s announcement Thursday, Blanche took to X to convey Bondi “for her activity and friendship” and Trump “for nan spot and nan opportunity to serve.”

“We will proceed backing nan blue, enforcing nan law, and doing everything successful our powerfulness to support America safe,” his station said.