Blanche seeks to rally a depleted Justice Department workforce in first
speech as attorney general
[August 14, 2026]
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Todd Blanche sought to rally a
depleted Justice Department workforce Thursday in his first speech since
taking the reins of the beleaguered agency, promising rank-and-file
staff that he will lead them with integrity.
Blanche's speech inside the storied Great Hall at Justice Department
headquarters represented an effort to reassure lawyers and law
enforcement officials on the heels of a tumultuous confirmation battle
that exposed deep concerns about the direction of the agency under
Republican President Donald Trump.
Blanche vowed to uphold the rule of law “without fear or favor,” and
told staff he would welcome their ideas and encourage disagreement.
Without mentioning specific moves that have raised alarms from critics
that Blanche is still functioning as Trump’s personal lawyer, the
attorney general acknowledged he would “not get every decision right.”
“Everything that I do will not be the right path or the right decision,”
said Blanche, who served as Trump's criminal defense lawyer before
entering the department last year as deputy attorney general. “No one
does that, but I do promise you this: I promise you that I will work as
hard as any of you. I promise that I’ll listen to you. That I will
listen to the ideas that you have, or adjustments that we need to make,
and if we need to make them, I will make them.”
Blanche is assuming control of the Justice Department at a turbulent
time, with mass firings and resignations having hollowed out the
workforce and a slew of politically charged investigations drawing
concerns that the agency is being used as a weapon to target the
president's perceived foes.
He was confirmed by the Senate early Saturday by the narrowest of
margins, opposed by two Republicans who expressed concerns about what
they described as the politicization of the Justice Department under
Trump.
[to top of second column]
|
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, right, is joined by Deputy
Assistant Secretary of the Department of State's Bureau of
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Ambassador
Michael C. Gonzales, left, during a news conference at the
Department of Justice, Wednesday, August 5, 2026 in Washington. (AP
Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Blanche told the workforce he is proud of the department's work
under the second Trump administration to tackle violent crime,
illegal drug trafficking and violent gangs and cartels.
"It’s easy to focus on the negative or the news story that is
critical of something we’re doing or something that we’ve done, or
questions something that we're doing or something that we've done,"
Blanche said. “But do not forget that we have accomplished a
tremendous amount of good, positive work in the past year and a
half.”
Justice Connection, a network of alums, said in a statement that
“Blanche’s platitudes will only resonate if his actions start
matching his words." The group noted that the department under
Blanche's leadership has pushed out employees who opposed decisions
in high-profile cases or who were deemed insufficiently loyal to the
administration's agenda.
“Thousands more have left because leadership has consistently
violated the principles Blanche articulated: prosecuting defendants
based only on the facts and the law; holding those who attack law
enforcement accountable; and respecting the courts,” the group said.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
