Trump’s former personal lawyer defends him at a Senate hearing and decries ‘partisan lawfare’
Todd Blanche, attorney for President-elect Donald Trump departs court, Jan. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Todd Blanche criticized the criminal cases against the Republican president as “partisan lawfare” during his Wednesday confirmation hearing to become the second in command at the Justice Department, while skeptical Democrats pressed him on whether he would be able to stand up to pressure from the White House.
Blanche, who just months ago was defending Trump in criminal cases brought by the department, sought to assure lawmakers that politics would play no role in his decisions as deputy attorney general. But his defense of his former client, whom he cast as the victim of a politically motivated justice system, is unlikely to assuage concerns about his loyalty to Trump.
Blanche, a former federal prosecutor in New York, would serve under Attorney General Pam Bondi, who in one of her first actions after being sworn into office last week announced the formation of a group that will scrutinize the work of special counsel Jack Smith and others who brought cases against the president.
Blanche was a key figure on Trump’s defense team, both in the two criminal cases brought by the Justice Department and the New York hush money case, which ended in a conviction of 34 felony counts. The federal cases were withdrawn after Trump won the 2024 election because of longstanding department policy prohibiting the federal prosecution of a sitting president.
If confirmed by the Senate, Blanche would enter as the department faces questions over its independence from the White House after leadership this week ordered the dismissal of the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who has cultivated a warm relationship with the president.
Emil Bove, another former Trump defense attorney who’s serving as acting deputy until Blanche’s arrival, said the decision was made not because of the strength of the evidence, but because the charges were brought too close to Adams’ reelection campaign and were distracting from the mayor’s efforts to assist in the Trump administration’s law-and-order priorities.
Blanche and Bondi, a longtime Trump ally and former Florida attorney general, have echoed Trump’s claims that the department under former President Joe Biden was “weaponized” against conservatives. Blanche told lawmakers that representing Trump opened his eyes to what he described as the abuse of the criminal justice system. Blanche vowed that political considerations would never influence his decisions at the department.
“Partisan lawfare in our justice system wastes taxpayer money, makes communities less safe, and ruins lives,” he said. “This should never happen in America. America deserves better, and it will stop now.”
“We will work to restore the American people’s faith in our justice system, focusing the Department of Justice on the criminals who undermine our safety and destroy our lives, on protecting citizens’ rights, and on ensuring that our government can do the job that the voters chose for it to do,” he added.
Former Attorney General Merrick Garland has defended his department’s work, telling staff in his farewell address last month: “You have worked to pursue justice, not politics.” And Smith, the special counsel, has said politics played no part in the decisions of his team, which charged Trump with illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate after his first term and conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election after he lost to Biden.
Democrats focused many of their questions on their concerns about Blanche’s closeness to Trump, who has made clear his desire to use the justice system to exact revenge on his political opponents.
“There will be times — if history is any guide — that the president will ask you to do things that are illegal or immoral,” said Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat. “I need to be sure that you’re willing to say ‘no’ to the president of the United States when he does it.”
Blanche responded that he rejected the premise, saying he didn’t think the president would ever ask him to do anything illegal or immoral. When pressed again, Blanche said only: “I will follow the law, senator. Period.”
Those concerns are more than theoretical for Democrats given the requests Trump made of his officials during his first term.
For instance, Trump urged then-FBI Director James Comey to drop an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, demanded that his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, rescind his decision to recuse from the Russia investigation and urged his White House counsel to seek the firing of special counsel Robert Mueller.
None of those requests was granted, but each was later investigated as a potential act of obstruction of justice. Sessions and Comey were later fired by Trump.
Republicans said Blanche’s record as a prosecutor and defense attorney makes him the perfect choice to help lead a department they say has lost credibility in the eyes of many Americans.
“When most people would have turned away in the face of overwhelming advance adversity and personal risk, Mr. Blanche stood up for what he knew was right,” said Florida GOP Sen. Ashley Moody. “And regardless of the pressure he faced inside his own firm or the criticisms he received in the media, Mr. Blanche had the integrity to fulfill his duty, not only to President Trump as his attorney, but to fulfill what he believed was the promise of our nation.”
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Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker contributed reporting.