Todd Blanche tries to calm DOJ ranks in first speech as leader

WASHINGTON – US Attorney-General Todd Blanche struck a conciliatory tone in his first speech since being confirmed to lead the Justice Department following months of turbulence and controversy that has tested the independence of the nation’s premier law enforcement agency and its credibility with the courts.

“I promise you that I will lead this department with integrity,” Blanche said on Aug 13 at the department’s Washington headquarters.

“I promise you that I will focus on our core mission which is to uphold the rule of law fairly and impartially, to keep this great country safe and to protect the rights of every citizen in this country.”

Blanche offered a decidedly optimistic and supportive message to the tens of thousands of prosecutors, law enforcement officers and support staff he now oversees, saying he rose from within their ranks through decades of hard work and welcomes disagreements over policies and decisions.

His comments stand in stark contrast to the criticism and malaise that has beset the department during President Donald Trump’s second term, which has been punctuated by attempts to prosecute some of the president’s perceived political enemies, the diversion of resources to a hardline immigration crackdown and the departure of thousands of experienced prosecutors and other officials.

Blanche also said the department respected the role of the courts, even though his department has been battling almost daily with judges over cases and after he previously characterised legal fights with courts as a “war” and criticised “rogue activist judges.”

“We will always respect the role of the judiciary,” Blanche said.

At the same time, he added, “We’re not going to be intimidated out of enforcing the law, or doing our jobs, or executing the goals and priorities that we have in this administration.”

Trump said in a March 2025 post on Truth Social that his administration has been forced to appear before many “crooked judges” and he called for the impeachment of at least one judge who ordered a temporary halt to the deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members.

Trump also called Supreme Court justices who he appointed who voted against his sweeping tariff policy an “embarrassment” and said their rulings “sicken” him.

Judicial pushback

In court, some judges have taken the highly unusual step of quashing subpoenas issued by Trump’s prosecutors.

For example, US district chief judge James Boasberg in Washington ruled earlier in 2026 the Trump administration had no evidence to justify subpoenas sent to the Federal Reserve, saying they reflected an “improper motive” of retaliating against then-Fed Chair Jerome Powell over policy differences.

Blanche had been serving as acting attorney-general since Trump fired Pam Bondi in April.

As Bondi’s second-in-command, Blanche helped accomplish some major tasks on Trump’s agenda.

That included limiting the release of files on the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, doing an unusual interview with Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell where she said she never witnessed Trump behave inappropriately and settling Trump’s suit against the Internal Revenue Service over leaked tax information years ago.

Some of those same actions proved to be controversial, prompting allegations of a lack of transparency into the Epstein files and questions about Maxwell’s transfer to a minimum-security prison after the interview.

Blanche was narrowly approved by the Senate last week to be the nation’s top law enforcement officer following a bruising confirmation battle mainly over objections to the controversial IRS settlement.

His confirmation was was effectively stalled by Republican Senators until he published two documents claiming to rescind an order creating an “anti-weaponisation fund” that could have paid US$1.8 billion (S$2.3 billion) to Trump’s allies, and clarifying that the settlement gives Trump, his two sons and company immunity from past tax audits and investigations.

Trump’s attorney

In choosing Blanche, Trump promoted one of his former defence lawyers to lead the Justice Department.

Blanche served as Trump’s defence attorney in criminal cases relating to the 2020 election, his handling of classified documents and alleged hush-money payments.

During his speech on Aug 13, Blanche touted efforts that the department’s prosecutors and law enforcement agents have made working in cooperation with other agencies to help reduce violent crime and target drug cartels.

“The violent crime rates in this country have gone way, way down. That’s not all the federal government, but we are certainly a big part of that success,” Blanche said.

“You make me look good,” Blanche told his workforce. “Do not forget that we have accomplished a tremendous amount of good, positive work in the past year and a half.” BLOOMBERG