Trump’s Former Hush Money Lawyer Todd Blanche Is Now In Charge Of The Epstein Files Release

The man group to lead nan Department of Justice aft Pam Bondi’s departure mounted nan defense of Donald Trump done his criminal prosecutions and nan weeks-long hush money proceedings that led to nan first ever condemnation of a president.

Todd Blanche, who Trump appointed arsenic lawman lawyer general, will return connected nan domiciled of acting lawyer wide pursuing Bondi’s ousting.

Bondi will transportation duties of nan Office of Attorney General to Blanche complete nan adjacent period earlier she leaves nan Trump management for what she called “an important backstage caput role.”

Blanche — who steered Trump’s defense successful courtrooms successful New York, Florida, and Washington D.C. — was sworn into nan No. 2 domiciled astatine nan Justice Department conscionable weeks aft he appeared alongside Trump connected a surface wrong a Manhattan criminal courtroom, wherever a judge presided complete nan first-ever criminal sentencing of a president successful U.S. history.

“Pam Bondi led this Department pinch spot and condemnation and I’m grateful for her activity and friendship,” Blanche said successful a statement. “Thank you to President Trump for nan spot and nan opportunity to service arsenic Acting Attorney General. We will proceed backing nan blue, enforcing nan law, and doing everything successful our powerfulness to support America safe.”

Blanche is among respective erstwhile individual attorneys to nan president, including Bondi, who joined nan Trump management successful roles that person been utilized to onslaught astatine his governmental opponents and unwind national investigations that erstwhile targeted Trump.

Emil Bove, different of Trump’s criminal defense attorneys successful his alleged hush money case, served arsenic main lawman lawyer wide earlier Trump nominated him to service arsenic a national appellate tribunal judge.

D. John Sauer, who based on astatine nan Supreme Court for Trump’s “immunity” from criminal prosecution for his efforts to overturn his 2020 predetermination loss, is now nan government’s apical lawyer

Other erstwhile Trump-linked lawyers — including Harmeet Dhillon, now nan main of nan Justice Department’s storied Civil Rights Division, Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, and erstwhile U.S. Attorneys Alina Habba and Lindsey Halligan, among others — were besides rewarded pinch cardinal roles successful nan management aft spending years defending nan president done a minefield of ineligible challenges.

Inside nan Justice Department, Blanche has remained patient successful his support of his erstwhile client.

Last year, he dismissed Erez Reuveni, nan acting lawman head of nan Office of Immigration Litigation, aft he admitted successful tribunal that Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia — whose high-profile lawsuit has been astatine nan halfway of nan Trump administration’s wide deportation efforts — was wrongly removed from nan country.

He besides disbanded nan National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, was tapped to service arsenic nan acting librarian of Congress, and suggested that anti-Trump protesters who interrupted nan president’s meal should face national racketeering charges.

Last month, while speaking astatine nan Conservative Political Action Conference, Blanche boasted that nan Justice Department “cleaned up shop” aft firing dozens of profession prosecutors and national agents who were progressive successful nan investigations against nan man he was defending successful court.

“There is not a azygous man aliases female pinch a weapon — national supplier — still successful that statement that had thing to do pinch nan prosecution of President Trump,” he said.

But his roles successful the investigations surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, and nan Justice Department’s legally required merchandise of documents stemming from nan activity offender’s cases, person travel nether aggravated scrutiny from some Democrats and Republicans.

Last summer, he signed disconnected connected a memo stating that location is “no basis” to merchandise immoderate much materials from nan national government’s investigations, and that “no further disclosure would beryllium due aliases warranted.”

In July, he interviewed Epstein’s longtime accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell from national prison. Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years successful situation aft she was convicted of trafficking young women and girls, said she “never saw” Trump doing thing “inappropriate” during her wide-ranging interview.

She was later transferred to a lower-security situation successful Texas.

Blanche — a seasoned of respective prestigious white-shoe firms and a erstwhile national charismatic successful nan U.S. nan Attorney's Office successful nan Southern District of New York — formed his ain firm, Blanche Law, nan aforesaid period Trump was arraigned connected criminal charges successful Manhattan. Blanche spent nan adjacent 2 years defending nan president successful various courtrooms.

On May 30, 2024, a unanimous assemblage convicted Trump connected each 34 counts of falsifying business records successful relationship pinch a strategy to soundlessness big movie prima Stormy Daniels, whose communicative astir having activity pinch Trump threatened to derail his 2016 statesmanlike campaign.

Trump’s then-attorney Michael Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 for nan authorities to her story; Trump reimbursed Cohen successful a bid of checks, immoderate of which were trim from nan White House, according to tribunal records and testimony.

Those reimbursements were falsely recorded successful accounting records arsenic “legal expenses,” fulfilling a conspiracy to unlawfully power nan 2016 statesmanlike election, according to prosecutors.

Throughout nan trial, Blanche dutifully appeared adjacent to Trump during informal property conferences to camera crews and reporters successful nan courthouse hallway.

Blanche besides represented Trump passim a national criminal lawsuit alleging a immense conspiracy to undermine nan results of nan 2020 predetermination and different involving nan president’s allegedly unlawful possession of classified materials hoarded wrong his Mar-a-Lago residence.

Former typical counsel Jack Smith closed those cases aft Trump’s election, and a national judge — besides appointed by Trump — has blocked nan merchandise of Smith's last study connected his findings successful nan Mar-a-Lago investigation. The Justice Department has refused to people it.