Todd Blanche is an experienced prosecutor and lawyer. Those are bare minimum qualifications to be attorney general, the nomination for which the Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearings this week. A willingness to exercise independent judgment, based on the interests of the American people and all those our legal system pledges to protect, is just as critical to the position. Unfortunately, Blanche’s record in the Justice Department leadership since March 2025 shows he cannot be trusted to exercise such judgment.
We write as lawyers who worked alongside Blanche for several years in the Southern District of New York and once considered him a close friend. We know he's an experienced prosecutor and lawyer. Those are necessary qualifications to serve as attorney general, but they are far from sufficient. The office demands more, including a willingness to exercise judgment based solely on the law and the interests of the American people. Since becoming part of the Justice Department leadership in March 2025, Blanche has repeatedly demonstrated that he cannot be trusted to exercise independent judgment. The Senate Judiciary Committee should reject his nomination to be attorney general.
This is a preview of Mimi Rocah and Perry A. Carbone’s latest column. Read the full column here. And follow MS NOW’s live coverage of Blanche’s Senate confirmation.
