By Anietie anii-bassey
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche is facing mounting criticism from both Democrats and influential Republicans after approving a controversial $1.8 billion compensation fund designed to reimburse individuals who claim they were politically targeted by federal investigations during previous administrations.
The decision, widely viewed as benefiting allies of President Donald Trump, has intensified scrutiny over Blanche’s leadership at the Justice Department and deepened concerns that the nation’s top law enforcement agency is becoming increasingly politicized under Trump’s second administration.
Blanche, a former personal attorney for Trump, has repeatedly denied that he is campaigning for a permanent appointment as attorney general. Yet a string of high-profile actions taken since he assumed the role on an acting basis last month has convinced critics and supporters alike that he is seeking to demonstrate unwavering loyalty to the president.
Among the most controversial moves was his approval of the nearly $1.776 billion compensation fund, which would allow individuals claiming political persecution by federal authorities to seek financial restitution.
The plan also reportedly includes protections shielding Trump and his eldest sons from certain tax audit actions, further inflaming accusations that the Justice Department is being used to protect the president’s political interests.
The backlash has been unusually sharp, even from within Trump’s own party.
Mitch McConnell, the longtime Republican senator from Kentucky and former Senate majority leader, condemned the proposal in unusually blunt language.
“So the nation’s top law enforcement official is asking for a slush fund to pay people who assault cops?” McConnell said in a statement. “Utterly stupid, morally wrong — take your pick.”
The criticism reflects growing unease among some Republicans who worry that the administration’s increasingly aggressive efforts to target perceived political enemies could politically damage the party and undermine confidence in federal institutions.
Blanche’s rise inside the Justice Department has been rapid and deeply tied to Trump’s legal and political orbit.
A former federal prosecutor in New York, Blanche first became nationally known after joining Trump’s legal defense team during several major investigations and prosecutions involving the president, including the high-profile hush money case in New York. Blanche has frequently argued that Trump was the victim of a politically weaponized justice system, a claim that became central to his public identity.
After Trump returned to office, Blanche was appointed deputy attorney general, the second-highest position at the Justice Department. He was elevated to acting attorney general after Trump abruptly removed Pam Bondi from the position last month following frustrations over the department’s inability to secure major prosecutions against several of Trump’s political opponents.
Now leading the department temporarily, Blanche has found himself navigating the same political pressures that consumed several of Trump’s previous attorneys general.
Jeff Sessions was forced out during Trump’s first presidency after recusing himself from the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, angering the president. His successor, William Barr, eventually resigned after refusing to support Trump’s false claims of widespread election fraud following the 2020 election.
Blanche’s critics argue that unlike those predecessors, he has shown little interest in maintaining distance from the White House.
Within weeks of becoming acting attorney general, Blanche announced the appointment of veteran former prosecutor Joseph diGenova to oversee a Florida-based investigation examining whether federal law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired for years to undermine Trump politically.
Speaking on television shortly afterward, Blanche promised that the investigation would eventually expose what he described as misconduct targeting Trump and his administration over the last decade.
“At some point, at the right time, that will be made public and the American people will see exactly what happened to this administration and President Trump over the past decade,” Blanche said.
The investigation has drawn skepticism from legal experts because multiple previous government reviews into the FBI’s Russia investigation failed to uncover evidence supporting claims of a broad criminal conspiracy against Trump.
Blanche has also overseen several other politically explosive cases.
Last month, the Justice Department secured an indictment against former FBI Director James Comey, accusing him of threatening Trump through a social media photograph showing seashells arranged into the numbers “86 47.” Legal analysts have questioned whether prosecutors can successfully prove criminal intent in the case.
Comey has publicly suggested he expects further legal action from the department.
Blanche’s Justice Department has additionally pursued charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center, alleging the nonprofit misled donors regarding its activities. The organization has long been criticized by conservative activists and media figures.
At the same time, Blanche has aggressively defended the administration’s crackdown on unauthorized leaks to journalists, including approving subpoenas targeting members of the news media.
The compensation fund, however, has become the defining controversy of his tenure so far.
Under the proposal, individuals who believe they were unfairly investigated or prosecuted by the federal government would be eligible to apply for compensation. Blanche has insisted the program would be open to people regardless of political affiliation.
Still, critics argue the initiative is clearly aimed at rewarding Trump supporters and political allies investigated during the Biden administration and after the January 6 Capitol riot.
The proposal sparked intense debate during meetings with Senate Republicans this week. Shortly afterward, Republican senators unexpectedly departed Washington without voting on a major $70 billion immigration enforcement funding package, fueling speculation that internal divisions over the Justice Department controversy contributed to the delay.
During congressional testimony, Blanche defended the compensation program while refusing to rule out whether individuals convicted of violent offenses connected to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol could potentially qualify for payments.
That answer drew immediate criticism from lawmakers in both parties and further intensified accusations that the department is prioritizing loyalty to Trump over institutional independence.
Legal scholars and former Justice Department officials have expressed alarm at the direction of the agency under Blanche’s leadership.
Stephen Saltzburg, a former senior Justice Department official during the 1980s, said Blanche appears more focused on serving Trump personally than acting independently on behalf of the country.
“It’s pretty clear that he’s not the attorney general for the United States as much as he’s the attorney general for President Trump,” Saltzburg said.
David Laufman, who served during the administration of President George W. Bush, argued Blanche has become “a willing and ardent accomplice” in advancing partisan goals from the White House.
Blanche’s allies strongly reject those accusations.
Jay Town, who served during Trump’s first administration, defended Blanche as an honorable prosecutor guided by facts and law rather than politics.
“What he is doing is he is seeking justice based on facts and the law,” Town said. “And I don’t think that will ever change about him.”
Blanche himself has repeatedly dismissed suggestions that he is maneuvering to secure a permanent nomination as attorney general.
He has said publicly that while he would be honored to continue in the role permanently, he has no expectations or demands regarding his future inside the administration.
“If he chooses to nominate somebody else and asks me to go do something else, I will say, ‘Thank you very much. I love you, sir,’” Blanche told reporters.
Despite those statements, Blanche has become increasingly visible as the public face of the Justice Department, holding frequent press conferences and granting interviews across multiple media outlets. Supporters say his background as a federal prosecutor has made him a more effective communicator than Bondi, whose media appearances were largely limited to conservative television networks.
Democrats remain unconvinced.
During a contentious Senate hearing this week, Chris Van Hollen accused Blanche of acting less like an independent attorney general and more like Trump’s private lawyer.
“Mr. Attorney General, you are acting today like the president’s personal attorney,” Van Hollen said during the exchange. “And that’s the whole problem.”
As Blanche’s tenure continues, the controversy surrounding the compensation fund and the broader direction of the Justice Department is likely to intensify, particularly as Trump’s administration pushes forward with investigations and prosecutions targeting critics, former officials and perceived political adversaries.
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