More than 1,200 former Justice Department employees are calling on Senators to reject President Donald Trump’s nomination of his former personal attorney, Todd Blanche, to become the next Attorney General, saying he had instilled a “culture of fear” in the department.
The former government lawyers, who have worked across 14 Republican and Democratic administrations, accused Blanche of degrading the workforce by demonizing career employees, driving lawyers out through unethical orders and pulling staff away from mission-critical work to remain loyal to Trump.
“The culture of fear Blanche has instilled within DOJ’s workforce must end,” the group of lawyers wrote in the letter sent by Judicial Connection to leaders on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Tuesday.
“And instead of exhibiting fealty to the president, the Attorney General must heed John Adams’ admonition that our republic remains a ‘government of laws, not of men.’ For the sake of the institution where we once proudly served, we urge you to reject Todd Blanche’s nomination,” the letter read.
The Independent has asked the White House and Justice Department for comment.
Blanche, who represented Trump in three of his criminal cases, had been serving as Deputy Attorney General since March 2025, but took over the department in an acting position in April after Trump fired former Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Throughout his time in the DOJ, Blanche has faced criticism for carrying out Trump’s personal agenda by pursuing prosecutions against the president’s perceived enemies, such as former FBI Director James Comey for posting a picture of shells spelling out “86 47” on Instagram, or former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who assisted the January 6th Committee.
Others have pointed to Blanche’s approval of an $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” that quickly drew backlash from both Democrats and Republicans. The creation of the fund has been temporarily paused.
Blanche has been subject to criticism over the rollout of the Epstein files, which was delayed and included redaction mistakes.
But the more than 1,200 lawyers specifically pointed to the significant scaleback of the DOJ workforce under Blanche’s leadership.
They claim more than 16,000 employees have left the Justice Department, some due to firings “usually without notice, and for improper, unlawful reasons,” while others “resigned rather than follow illegal or unethical orders.”
Justice Department staff have reportedly been fired for assisting with cases investigating the president or prosecuting January 6 rioters.
Others have voluntarily resigned for refusing to carry out orders they did not agree with. Last year, a group of prosecutors in the prestigious Southern District of New York quit, claiming Blanche had pressured them to admit wrongdoing for refusing to dismiss the case against former New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
The group of lawyers said that while many have left the DOJ, it’s been difficult to recruit qualified talent.
“The consequences of Blanche’s attacks on DOJ’s apolitical workforce radiate beyond the halls of Main Justice, affecting the entire country. They’ve meant that much of the department’s vital work isn’t being done, or isn’t being done as well – leaving communities less safe, Americans’ rights less protected, and our national security more vulnerable,” the lawyers wrote.
Other groups have sent similar letters to Senate leaders, asking them to reject Blanche as Attorney General.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, known as CREW, warned Monday that “confirming Blanche as attorney general would solidify the Department of Justice’s transformation into an agency accountable only to the president, whose powers are wielded in his interest, rather than that of American citizens.”
In June, a group of 101 former judges signed a letter from Democracy Defends Fund and Lawyers Defending American Democracy asking the Attorney Grievance Committee to investigate Blanche for violating professional conduct rules.
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