DOJ alumni urge senators to reject Todd Blanche's AG nomination ahead of confirmation
WASHINGTON, DC: Ahead of the scheduled confirmation hearing for Todd Blanche as the Attorney General on July 15 and 16, alumni of the Department of Justice have urged the senators to reject his nomination.
Todd Blanche, a former Trump attorney and acting attorney general, is set to testify on the first day of his confirmation hearing on July 15, followed by outside witnesses on the second day.
Over 1,200 former DOJ officials accuse Blanche of 'demonizing career employees'
Over 1200 former employees of the Department of Justice have written a letter encouraging the Senate to dump Todd Blanche’s confirmation as the attorney general of the department, accusing him of demonizing career employees.
The letter written on Tuesday, July 7, claims that the Justice Department has been defined by “corruption and abuse” under the leadership of Todd Blanche, who has been serving as acting attorney general since April this year.
“In the coming weeks, many will rightly underscore the corruption and abuses that have defined the Justice Department under Todd Blanche’s leadership,” the letter read, emphasizing the diminishing image of the Department under Blanche.
The letter also points to several high-profile cases that have put the DoJ’s credibility under scrutiny.
Several controversies mentioned by the former officials include “the vindictive prosecutions and investigations of the President’s foes; the deals designed to reward lawbreakers with taxpayer dollars; the erasure of accountability for January 6; the mishandling of the Epstein files; and the denigration of judges and repeated violations of their order.”
“But we want to focus on an area that deserves just as much attention: Todd Blanche’s degradation of DOJ’s apolitical career workforce,” the former employees wrote in a letter organized by Justice Connection, a DOJ alumni group.
Number of signatures unusually high
While such complaints, controversies, and letters are not highly uncommon when any big nomination is pending, the number of people who have signed the letter is unusually high.
The letter notes the large number of employees who have left the department under the Trump administration. Some were fired, while others “resigned rather than follow illegal or unethical orders.”
Before starting his job as the acting attorney general, Tod Blanche served as deputy attorney general and was nominated to serve as attorney general after President Trump fired former Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Blanche shaped DoJ to reflect Trump’s priorities
“Blanche has fired or overseen the firings of hundreds of these employees – usually without notice, and for improper, unlawful reasons,” the letter touched on the large-scale firing in the DoJ.
About 16,000 of the more than 100,000 DOJ employees have left. The bulk are apolitical career employees, the alumni call the “backbone” of the department.
“The culture of fear Blanche has instilled within DOJ’s workforce must end. Respect for career professionals must return. Would-be job applicants need to believe the Justice Department lives up to the virtue in its name,” they wrote.
