Over 1,200 DOJ alum urge Senators to reject Tod Blanche's nomination as attorney general

Over 1,200 former Department of Justice (DOJ) employees have urged the Senate to reject acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination to take on the role permanently, in a letter on Tuesday, saying he has instilled a "culture of fear" in the workforce of the department. The former government lawyers claimed Blanche has taken extensive steps to ensure his loyalty to President Donald Trump, and has fired workers and compromised critical work in the process. The effort comes as Blanche is set to appear for his confirmation hearing next week. 

In the letter sent by Judicial Connection to leaders on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the DOJ alum, who has worked across 14 Republican and Democratic administrations, accused Blanche of degrading the department's workforce by demonizing career employees, pushing out lawyers through unethical orders, and pulling staff away from mission-critical work to ensure loyalty to Trump. Blanche, who initially served as the deputy Attorney General, took over the acting role after being fired. According to The Hill, such letters are common before a nomination is confirmed; the large number of signatures on the letter is almost unprecedented.

"In the coming weeks, many will rightly underscore the corruption and abuses that have defined the Justice Department under Todd Blanche's leadership: 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 orders," the letter organized by Justice Connection, a DOJ alumni group read.

The letter further notes that under the Trump administration, a large number of employees left the department, and while some were fired, others "resigned rather than follow illegal or unethical orders." The alum argued that Blanche also played a key role in shaping the department to best serve the president's priorities. The letter added that about 16,000 of the over 100,000 DOJ employees left the department, with many being apolitical career employees who were the "backbone" of the department.

"Blanche has fired or overseen the firings of hundreds of these employees–usually without notice, and for improper, unlawful reasons. Some were terminated for having worked on cases the President didn't like; for being relatives of the President's foes; for adjudicating immigration cases in accordance with due process; for declining to initiate vindictive prosecutions; or for refusing to lie in court," the letter mentioned. The lawyers further claimed that Blanche's terminations violate the civil statutes that are designed to check corruption and political purges.

The lawyers urged that "the culture of fear" that Blanche has instilled in the department must end, and the 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. "For the sake of the institution where we once proudly served, we urge you to reject Todd Blanche's nomination," the letter read.

Blanche previously worked as Trump's criminal defense attorney, and he oversaw the 2024 hush money conviction and the two federal cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith. In his time at the DOJ, Blanche publicly declared a "war" on judges and state bar associations, issued an indictment against former FBI director James Comey, and introduced the now-cancelled $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund, a taxpayer payout that stemmed from Trump's IRS lawsuit to compensate people who claim to be wrongly targeted by the government.