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Todd Blanche
American lawyer and prosecutor (born 1974) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Todd Wallace Blanche[2] (born August 6, 1974) is an American lawyer and former prosecutor who serves as the 40th United States deputy attorney general since 2025. Blanche is best known for representing U.S. president Donald Trump in the 2024 criminal trial in New York City. Blanche worked at New York City's oldest law firm, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, serving as a partner at the firm—and represented clients such as Rudy Giuliani associate Igor Fruman and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
In November 2024, President-elect Trump announced his intention to nominate Blanche as deputy attorney general. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 5, 2025, by a vote of 52–46. On May 12, 2025, Trump attempted to appoint Blanche to be acting librarian of Congress, a position in the legislative branch.[3]
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Early life and education
Blanche was born in 1974 and grew up near Denver, Colorado.[4][5] He went to a military boarding school in New Mexico and attended Beloit College.[4] He then transferred to the American University School of Public Affairs,[4] where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science and interdisciplinary studies.[6] In 1999, Blanche worked as a paralegal for the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York and attended night classes at Brooklyn Law School, where he received a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree.[7]
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Career
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After law school, Blanche was a prosecutor in New York's Southern District and co-chief of its violent crimes unit and the White Plains division.[6] He worked on cases related to bank and wire fraud, public corruption, and racketeering.[6] Blanche was later employed by the law firm WilmerHale.[6] From September 2017 to April 2023, Blanche was a partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft.[8] He represented clients including Igor Fruman and Paul Manafort during the latter's 2016 fraud trial.[6][9][10]
Blanche left the firm and founded Blanche Law to represent former U.S. president Donald Trump.[9][6] He is a defense attorney in the 2024 criminal trial of Donald Trump.[6] Following Trump's May 30, 2024 conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, Blanche stated Trump's defense team plans to appeal the verdict.[11]
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United States deputy attorney general
On November 14, 2024, President-elect Trump announced that he intended to nominate Blanche for United States deputy attorney general.[12] He was confirmed to the post by the U.S. Senate on March 5, 2025 in a 52–46 vote.[13]
Blanche was sworn in as the 40th United States deputy attorney general on March 6, 2025.[14]
Acting Librarian of Congress
On May 12, 2025, President Donald Trump announced that Todd Blanche would be the new acting librarian of Congress.[15][16]
The appointment followed Trump’s abrupt firing of Carla Hayden, the first African American and first woman to serve as Librarian of Congress, nearly two years before the end of her 10-year term.[17] 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”.[18]
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.”[19]
That same day, Department of Justice officials reportedly attempted to assume control of the library’s operations and were rebuffed by library staff. Capitol Police were contacted but ultimately dismissed after the situation de-escalated without incident.[16]
Congressional reaction was swift. Senate majority leader John Thune said “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.[19]
Interrogation of Ghislaine Maxwell
In July 2025 in his role as deputy US attorney general, Todd Blanche, held a second in-person meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell is a convicted sex trafficker and associate of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.[20] In an analysis on the CNN website, Aaron Blake stated that President Trump has "demonstrated past personal ties to Epstein", and that "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. Not only is Blanche a top political appointee of Trump's; he's also his formal personal lawyer. 'The conflict of interest is glaring,' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Thursday on X. 'It stinks of high corruption.'"[21]
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Personal life
Blanche is married. His wife, Kristine, is an integrative medicine physician assistant who holds a PhD from University of Science, Arts and Technology and who served as chief of staff for his law firm.[7][22][better source needed][23] The couple has two children.[5] Blanche has completed two Ironman triathlons.[7]
In 2023, Blanche was a registered Democrat in New York. In 2024, Blanche purchased a home in Palm Beach County, Florida and registered as a Republican.[7]
References
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