Todd Blanche | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2025 | |
| 40thUnited States Deputy Attorney General | |
| Assumed office March 6, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Attorney General | Pam Bondi |
| Preceded by | Lisa Monaco Emil Bove (acting) |
| Acting Librarian of Congress | |
Disputed | |
| Assumed office May 12, 2025 Disputed withRobert Newlen[a] | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Robert Newlen (acting, disputed) Carla Hayden |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Todd Wallace Blanche (1974-08-06)August 6, 1974 (age 51) |
| Party | Republican |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Beloit College American University (BA) Brooklyn Law School (JD) |
Todd Wallace Blanche (/blæntʃ/;[2] born August 6, 1974) is an American lawyer and former prosecutor who has served as the fortiethUnited States deputy attorney general since 2025. Blanche defended U.S. presidentDonald Trump during his2024 criminal trial for business fraud inNew York City. Trump was found guilty on 34 felony charges. Blanche worked for several years at New York City's oldest law firm,Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, where he served as a partner representing clients such asRudy Giuliani, associateIgor Fruman, and former Trump campaign chairmanPaul Manafort.
In November 2024, President-elect Trump announced his intention to nominate Blanche as deputy attorney general. He was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on March 5, 2025, by a vote of 52–46. On May 12, 2025, Trump appointed Blanche to be actinglibrarian of Congress, a position in the legislative branch.[3]
Todd Wallace Blanche[4] was born inDenver, Colorado, on August 6, 1974,[5] and grew up in a suburb near the city.[6] He went to a military boarding school inNew Mexico and attendedBeloit College.[7] He then transferred to theAmerican University School of Public Affairs,[7] where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science and interdisciplinary studies.[8] In 1999, Blanche worked as aparalegal for theUnited States attorney for the Southern District of New York and attended night classes atBrooklyn Law School, where he served as an editor of theBrooklyn Law Review and received hisJD,cum laude, in 2003.[9][10]
After graduating from law school, Blanche clerked for JudgeDenny Chin on theSouthern District of New York and JudgeJoseph F. Bianco on theEastern District of New York, both of whom were later appointed to theU.S Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.[11][12]
After clerking, Blanche was a prosecutor inNew York's Southern District and co-chief of itsviolent crimes unit and theWhite Plains division.[8] He worked on cases related tobank andwire fraud,public corruption, andracketeering.[8]
Blanche was later employed by the law firmWilmerHale,[8] where he represented clients includingIgor Fruman andPaul Manafort during the latter's2016 fraud trial.[8][13][14]
From September 2017 to April 2023, Blanche was a partner atCadwalader, Wickersham & Taft.[15]
Blanche left the Cadwalader firm in 2023[8] and founded Blanche Law to represent former U.S. presidentDonald Trump[13][8] during his 2024 criminal trial in New York City.[8] Following Trump's May 30, 2024 conviction on thirty-four felony counts of falsifying business records, Blanche stated that Trump's defense team planned to appeal the verdict.[16]
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On November 14, 2024, President-elect Trump announced that he intended to nominate Blanche forUnited States deputy attorney general.[17] He was confirmed to the post by the U.S. Senate on March 5, 2025 in a 52–46 vote.[18]
Blanche was sworn in as the fortiethUnited States deputy attorney general on March 6, 2025.[19] To satisfy ethics concerns, Blanche pledged to divest from his substantial cryptocurrency holdings (between $159,000 and $485,000) within ninety days of his appointment and to not participate in any matters that would affect his cryptocurrency holdings until he had sold them.[20] However, about a month into the position, he issued a sweeping memo pledging an end to the kinds of enforcements against cryptocurrency firms that the Biden administration engaged in.[20]
On May 9, 2025, as revealed in bodycam footage taken and released in spite of an HSI officer's explicit order to turn off bodycams, Blanche ordered thearrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.[21]
In July 2025 Blanche held a second in-person meeting withGhislaine Maxwell, a convictedsex trafficker and associate of the late sex offenderJeffrey Epstein.[22] In an analysis forCNN, Aaron Blake stated that President Trump has "demonstrated past personal ties to Epstein," and said, "Critics have cried foul that the DOJ official interviewing Maxwell was Blanche, rather than a non-political prosecutor who has been involved in the case who would have much more expertise."[23]
On May 12, 2025, PresidentDonald Trump announced that Todd Blanche would be the new actinglibrarian of Congress.[24][25]
The appointment followed Trump's firing ofCarla Hayden, nearly two years before the end of her ten-year term.[26] The White House cited her focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives as justification for her removal. Critics noted that the rationale included misleading claims, such as accusations that Hayden was "putting inappropriate books in the library for children."[27]
Hayden's former deputy,Robert Newlen, assumed the role of acting librarian by default after her termination, and he publicly contested the legitimacy of Blanche's appointment. In an internal email to staff, Newlen stated, "Congress is engaged with the White House and we have not received direction from Congress about how to move forward."[28]
That same day,Department of Justice officials reportedly attempted to assume martial control of the library's operations and were rebuffed by library staff.United States Capitol Police were contacted but ultimately dismissed after the situation de-escalated without incident.[25]
In response, Senate majority leaderJohn Thune said that "congressional equities must be respected" in determining library leadership, emphasizing the library's status as a legislative branch institution. Meanwhile, Democrats called for legislation to strip the president of appointment power over the librarian of Congress. Rep.Joe Morelle, the ranking member of the committee overseeing the library, requested an inspector general investigation into whether any executive branch personnel attempted unauthorized access to legislative files.[28]
In January 2026, Blanche announced that there would be no Justice Department investigation into thekilling of Renée Good by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer deployed to Minneapolis.[29] Blanche declared the same decision in thekilling of Alex Pretti later that month.[30]
Blanche is married. His wife, Kristine, is anintegrative medicinephysician assistant who holds aPhD fromUniversity of Science, Arts and Technology and who served as chief of staff for his law firm.[9][failed verification][31][better source needed][32] The couple has two children.[6] Blanche has completed twoIronman triathlons.[9]
In 2023, Blanche was a registeredDemocrat in New York. In 2024, Blanche purchased a home inPalm Beach County, Florida, and registered as aRepublican.[9]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Deputy Attorney General 2025–present | Incumbent |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by Robert Newlen Acting, Disputed | Librarian of Congress Acting, Disputed 2025–present | Incumbent |
|  | |