The New York City Bar Association has delivered a forceful warning to senators considering Todd Blanche’s nomination as the nation’s permanent attorney general, arguing that his record makes him “unfit” to lead an independent Department of Justice.
In a July 13 letter addressed to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and ranking Democrat Dick Durbin, the prominent legal organization urged the committee to reject Blanche’s nomination. The letter was signed by City Bar President Matthew Diller and Susan J. Kohlmann, chair of its Rule of Law Task Force.
The association, founded in 1870 and representing more than 20,000 members, argued that Blanche’s actions as deputy attorney general and acting attorney general raise serious concerns about political influence, professional ethics and the Justice Department’s credibility.
A Sweeping Attack on Blanche’s Justice Department Record
The City Bar organized its opposition around five central allegations. It accused Blanche of supporting politically motivated investigations, failing to protect constitutional rights, placing loyalty to President Donald Trump above the rule of law, weakening the Justice Department’s independence and engaging in conduct that could conflict with professional ethics rules.
Those claims represent the association’s conclusions and have not been established as findings by the Senate. Still, the language was unusually severe for an organization that has long promoted judicial independence, legal professionalism and public confidence in the courts.
The letter argued that an attorney general must enforce federal law fairly, without using prosecutorial authority to reward political allies or punish perceived enemies. It cited Justice Department actions involving former FBI Director James Comey, former intelligence official John Brennan and former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson as examples of what it described as politically influenced law enforcement.
The City Bar also focused on Blanche’s handling of the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case. The association cited judicial criticism of the government’s conduct after Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported to El Salvador and later returned to the United States.
It argued that Blanche’s subsequent involvement in an investigation against Abrego Garcia illustrated a willingness to use the department’s power defensively after federal judges questioned the administration’s actions.
The organization also criticized past statements attacking judges. It pointed to remarks in which Blanche described the administration as being at “war” with the federal judiciary and accused some judges of failing to act impartially.
Trump Relationship Sits at the Heart of the Fight
Blanche’s previous relationship with Trump is central to the nomination battle.
Before joining the administration, Blanche represented Trump in three criminal cases brought in 2023 and 2024. He later became deputy attorney general and now serves as acting attorney general, overseeing more than 100,000 Justice Department employees across the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Prisons, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and 93 U.S. attorney’s offices.
The City Bar argued that Blanche’s history with Trump has created more than the appearance of a conflict. It accused him of continuing to protect the president’s personal interests after taking public office, particularly in matters involving Jeffrey Epstein records and a controversial settlement connected to Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.
That settlement involved plans for a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund intended to compensate people who claimed they had been unfairly targeted by the federal government. A related order would have protected Trump, members of his family and affiliated businesses from certain tax audits.
The fund was abandoned following bipartisan criticism. However, Blanche acknowledged during his July 15 Senate confirmation hearing that the underlying settlement had not been formally withdrawn.
Blanche told senators that the fund was effectively dead and said Trump’s attorneys had no plans to attempt to enforce the agreement in court. He also pushed back against accusations that he simply follows the president’s wishes.
“Counsel does not mean I’m a yes man,” Blanche told Democratic Sen. Chris Coons.
Supporters Defend Blanche’s Law-Enforcement Record
Blanche’s defenders argue that the campaign against him ignores the Justice Department’s accomplishments.
Grassley praised the department’s work on violent crime, fentanyl trafficking, child exploitation, illegal firearms and government fraud. He said Blanche had received letters of support from organizations representing more than 600,000 law-enforcement officers, 23 state attorneys general and numerous former Justice Department officials.
During his hearing, Blanche highlighted the department’s enforcement record and defended its efforts to investigate what the administration considers previous political abuses.
He also said anyone who assaulted police officers during the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol should have been prosecuted. At the same time, Blanche defended Trump’s constitutional authority to pardon people convicted of crimes connected to the riot.
Opposition to Blanche, however, extends beyond the New York City Bar Association.
More than 1,200 former Justice Department employees have signed a separate letter opposing his confirmation. More than 100 retired federal and state judges have also filed an ethics complaint with a New York attorney grievance committee, the City Bar noted.
That complaint remains unresolved and does not by itself establish professional wrongdoing. The City Bar nevertheless argued that confirming Blanche while the grievance remains under consideration would be inappropriate.
The Senate must now decide whether those concerns outweigh Blanche’s prosecutorial experience and the administration’s defense of his performance.
Supporters see an experienced lawyer carrying out Trump’s law-and-order agenda. Opponents see a former personal attorney whose loyalty to the president remains inseparable from his leadership of the Justice Department.
The nomination has therefore become about more than one official. It is now a test of how much independence Americans expect from the country’s highest-ranking law-enforcement officer,and how much distance that officer must maintain from the president who selected him.
