All articles tagged with #todd blanche
House Speaker Mike Johnson says the DOJ’s controversial Anti-Weaponization Fund and related White House ballroom security funding are off the table for the stalled immigration-enforcement package, as Republicans await acting AG Todd Blanche’s testimony to settle doubts and weigh amendments or a potential ban to revive the bill amid Senate opposition.
Trump is pushing an $1.8 billion DOJ ‘anti-weaponization’ slush fund to pay his supporters, triggering a furious closed-door revolt by more than a dozen GOP senators who yelled at Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and derailed a partisan funding vote; Trump has doubled down after endorsing Ken Paxton, claiming the fund fights weaponization, while allies say he still controls the agenda, even as Senate leaders and other Republicans condemn the plan as risky for GOP unity ahead of midterms.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will meet with Senate Republicans to discuss the Justice Department’s $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund amid GOP efforts to curb or block it as they push a reconciliation package with immigration enforcement provisions; meanwhile, the House weighs delaying votes to Memorial Day and Democrats plan amendments targeting the fund and other Trump-related issues.
Johnson refused to say whether individuals convicted for Jan. 6 would be eligible for payouts from the $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, part of a Trump settlement over the IRS leak; payouts will be determined by a yet-to-be-named commission overseen by the attorney general, a point of skepticism from Republicans and Democrats alike, with the DOJ defending the fund as redressing victims of ‘lawfare.’
During a Senate appropriations hearing, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said payouts to people tied to the Jan. 6 riot could be made under the DOJ’s new $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, with “anybody in this country” eligible to apply, prompting bipartisan concerns about transparency and potential rewards for defendants; Blanche argued claims would be public via FOIA, though settlement terms mention confidentiality, while Republicans pressed for independent oversight of the payout process.
Lawyers for accused WHCD shooter Cole Allen asked a judge to disqualify U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and senior DOJ official Todd Blanche, arguing their attendance at the press gala makes them victims/witnesses with potential conflicts of interest; prosecutors say Allen, charged with attempting to assassinate the president and other weapon counts, targeted Trump administration officials and was present near the dinner; the defense notes Patel's post-incident remarks; no plea has been entered yet.
Vox argues the FBI raid on Virginia state Sen. Louise Lucas raises questions about whether the DOJ is acting impartially or politicizing prosecutions. The piece outlines three possibilities: Lucas may have real criminal exposure, the investigation could be legitimate but timed to influence politics, or the DOJ is targeting a prominent Democrat to aid political narratives, especially with Fox News on the scene. It also notes that the DOJ has historically avoided public spectacles, and warns that politicizing prosecutions can taint jury pools and undermine due process, which could backfire on the administration and on Blanche as he seeks to preserve his job.
The post reports that Todd Blanche, once Donald Trump’s attorney, has appointed Joe DiGenova to oversee the investigation of John Brennan, framing it within a broader conspiracy narrative about the Mueller probe and Ukraine–Russia connections. It traces Blanche’s prior clients (Igor Fruman, Manafort) and his associates (Toensing, DiGenova) to alleged efforts to derail the Mueller investigation and discredit Biden–Ukraine narratives, arguing the move signals a shift toward using controversial figures and disputed evidence to ‘criminalize’ counterintelligence investigations. The piece suggests conflicts of interest, links to pro-Russian Ukrainian interests, and warns of potential political showmanship rather than a traditional criminal inquiry.
The Justice Department has tapped longtime Trump ally Joseph DiGenova to oversee the criminal probe into former CIA Director John Brennan from the Southern District of Florida, in a personnel shakeup that followed the removal of Maria Medetis Long; the move raises questions about the case's perceived independence as witnesses are interviewed.
The Justice Department removed longtime Miami prosecutor Maria Medetis Long from leading the John Brennan investigation after she resisted pressure to quickly bring charges against the former CIA director; the case is now in the hands of other career prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida, with witness interviews and subpoenas continuing. DOJ says reassigning attorneys is routine to allocate resources, and officials warn that indictments, if any, could still be months away, underscoring that charging decisions will be based on evidence rather than political pressure in a politically sensitive probe connected to Russia interference and Brennan’s congressional testimony.
A federal judge is deciding whether acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s public remarks about the Abrego Garcia deportation and related investigation amount to vindictive prosecution, potentially leading to the dismissal of the two Tennessee human-smuggling charges or requiring Blanche to testify about the case’s origins. The dispute underscores tensions inside the DOJ as prosecutors push to try Abrego Garcia in Tennessee while DHS seeks deportation to Liberia after the wrongful 2023 deportation to El Salvador.
Trump’s rival factions are jockeying to name the next attorney general, with Harmeet Dhillon at the center backed by White House counsel David Warrington and Todd Blanche already serving as acting AG; competing Trump loyalists—Jeanine Pirro, Lee Zeldin, Ed Martin and Stanley Woodward—are also angling for influence as Bondi exits and the DOJ faces internal turmoil.
Three former FBI agents who helped prosecute Trump-era cases filed a class-action suit claiming their firings were illegal and politically motivated, citing Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s CPAC remarks that the FBI had been 'cleaned house' and that no agents involved with the prosecutions remained. The suit names Kash Patel and Pam Bondi, alleges due-process violations and reputational harm from public statements, and argues the firings were part of a broader effort to target Trump-related investigations.
The DOJ faces a high-stakes court hearing to justify charging Kilmar Abrego García in a long-running human-smuggling case, arguing the indictment wasn’t punishment for his successful deportation challenge. The defense asserts vindictive prosecution, pointing to remarks by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and a prior ruling by Judge Waverly Crenshaw about a realistic likelihood of retaliation. Prosecutors plan to call Homeland Security Investigations agents and former Nashville U.S. Attorney Robert McGuire to show legitimate prosecutorial motives; Abrego’s team seeks dismissal. The outcome could determine whether the case collapses or proceeds to trial.
The Department of Justice dismissed James Hundley from his post as interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia just hours after federal judges unanimously appointed him, with Deputy AG Todd Blanche announcing the firing. Hundley had succeeded Lindsey Halligan, whose appointment was ruled unlawful, and this marks another instance of a judges-appointed U.S. Attorney being removed by the DOJ.