Attorney General Todd Blanche’s recent speeches at political events have significantly blurred traditional boundaries between federal law enforcement and politics, marking a sharp departure from norms designed to shield the Justice Department from the appearance of partisan bias.
Within days of addressing a GOP midterm convention where he praised Trump and highlighted the administration’s tough-on-crime focus, Blanche took the stage earlier this week at an event supporting a Republican Senate candidate in North Carolina.
Critics say his participation at the campaign events threatens to undermine public confidence in law enforcement decisions that ought to be made without political interference. The appearances have intensified concerns among critics regarding Blanche’s loyalty to Trump and White House influence over Justice Department matters amid ongoing investigations into various perceived foes of the president.
"It lends credence to the arguments that the Justice Department is hopelessly politicized," said Richard Painter, who was a White House ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration. "And that’s not where we want to be right now."
Blanche has brushed aside norms
Historically, attorneys general have avoided political rallies and kept their distance from the White House to avert the appearance of election interference and preserve the perception of prosecutorial impartiality.
However, Blanche, a former personal lawyer for Trump, has set aside such conventions and vigorously defended the president's interests within the department, which brought two criminal cases against Trump under President Joe Biden. Blanche has dismissed accusations that the agency has been politicized under the Trump administration, as well as claims of improper White House involvement in departmental decisions.
He has used his rally speeches to champion the administration’s efforts to lower violent crime, reduce illegal border crossings, and combat drug trafficking, as Republicans make tough-on-crime policies central to the midterm elections. In another unusual step, he conducted a press briefing at the White House this week, taking questions from reporters on various issues, including the Iran war.
At an event Wednesday in North Carolina for Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley, Blanche told the crowd, "More of your family, more of your friends, more of your community members, more of your loved ones are safer than they were just two years ago."
"And that’s President Trump and Vice President Vance delivering on a promise that they made to you," Blanche said, describing Trump as "the greatest president of our generation." His remarks also touched on topics outside his immediate law enforcement remit, including inflation, wage growth, and the stock market.
Blanche says he is not endorsing candidates at political events
The Justice Department stated that Blanche’s appearances at political functions are undertaken in his personal capacity, noting that while his addresses cover broad administration efforts, they do not delve into official agency business or policies.
"His appearances are reviewed and cleared by the Department’s ethics officials," spokesperson Kiersten Pels said in an email Thursday. "Travel expenses are reimbursed by the Attorney General in accordance with federal law, regulations, and policies."
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Blanche rejected criticism regarding his attendance at a Long Island gathering where Trump aimed to boost Republican candidates in closely contested races.
The ethics group Public Citizen submitted a complaint alleging Blanche violated a law restricting political activities by government employees when he participated in that event alongside Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Trump-endorsed Republican challenging Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.
"I will always say yes to speak when the president of the United States asks me to," Blanche told the AP last month. "I was there purely thanking cops, law enforcement, for doing their jobs. The idea that that’s turned into somehow criticism is laughable." Blanche maintained that he was not endorsing political candidates, but rather "talking about the great work that President Trump is doing."
Federal law and Justice Department policy limit political activity
The Hatch Act prohibits government officials from using their official standing to influence election outcomes, which includes endorsing candidates while acting in their official roles. Watchdog organizations have long argued that the law serves as a weak deterrent and that enforcement remains inadequate and inconsistent.
Under Biden in 2022, the Justice Department tightened restrictions on staff attending political events after then-Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins attended a fundraiser with first lady Jill Biden. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was fired by Trump in April, later rescinded those restrictions.
Rollins' presence at that fundraiser provoked criticism from Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, who demanded an inquiry and penned a letter asserting that U.S. attorneys must act as nonpartisan law enforcement officers rather than political figures. Rollins resigned in 2023 following accusations of broad misconduct from the Justice Department's internal watchdog.
Prior to those adjustments, longstanding department guidelines permitted political appointees—who are hired under presidential administrations rather than pursuing long-term careers at the agency—to attend political functions in a personal capacity if they acted "passively" and obtained prior clearance.
Biden's attorney general, Merrick Garland, prohibited attendance at fundraisers and campaign functions entirely, stating that the measure was essential to ensure that politics "both in fact and appearance" would not affect how laws are enforced or investigations conducted.
