Todd Blanche Says Donald Trump Has 'Duty' To Pursue and Target Prosecutors Who Indicted Him

America's top law enforcement officer told reporters on 7 April 2026 that it is Donald Trump's presidential 'duty' to pursue prosecutions of the men and women who once sought to put him behind bars.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who for years sat beside Trump at defence tables across three criminal courts, used his first press conference since being elevated to the top Justice Department post to defend ongoing federal investigations into figures the president has publicly condemned.

He framed Trump's desire for prosecutions not as political retaliation, but as the constitutional obligation of a head of government. Critics, including California Governor Gavin Newsom's office, called the remarks an open admission that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has been converted into an instrument of presidential vengeance.

Blanche's 'Duty' Remarks and What He Said

Blanche was responding to a reporter's question about whether Trump's repeated calls to prosecute perceived political enemies constituted undue pressure on the DOJ. His answer left little ambiguity. 'It is true that some of them involve men, women, and entities that the president, in the past, has had issues with and believes should be investigated,' Blanche told reporters. 'That is his right, and indeed it is his duty to do that, meaning, to lead this country.'

Blanche simultaneously insisted the department was not targeting Trump's political enemies, arguing that it was the Biden-era DOJ that had 'weaponised' federal law enforcement. 'When I see reporting about shock and awe at this supposed weaponisation of this Department of Justice, it means nothing to me, because it's completely false,' he said.

He defended the mass dismissal of federal prosecutors who had worked on cases against Trump, arguing that 'if you were a prosecutor and you were trying to prosecute your boss, you have ethical duties as a lawyer that I think prevent you from continuing to work in that environment.'

The press conference, held at the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice building in Washington, was Blanche's first since being elevated from deputy to acting attorney general after Trump fired Pam Bondi on 2 April 2026. At the Conservative Political Action Conference in late March, Blanche had boasted that 'over 200' DOJ and FBI officials tied to prior Trump investigations had been removed, resigned, or taken early retirement.

From Defence Lawyer to Law Enforcement Chief

Blanche's ascent to acting attorney general is without modern precedent in its intimacy: the nation's top prosecutor was, until recently, the personal criminal defence lawyer of the man who now signs his pay cheque. Blanche represented Trump in the New York hush-money case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, which ended in Trump's conviction on 34 felony counts in May 2024.

He also led the defence in two federal cases brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith: one concerning alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and another over the retention of classified documents after Trump left office. Both federal cases were abandoned after Trump won the November 2024 election, consistent with long-standing DOJ policy barring prosecution of a sitting president.

A former assistant US attorney in the Southern District of New York's violent-crimes unit, Blanche spent eight years as a federal prosecutor before entering private practice. He joined Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft as a partner in 2017, where he represented several Trump-adjacent figures including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and businessman Igor Fruman. He resigned from the firm in 2023 specifically to take on Trump's legal defence, telling colleagues in a farewell email that the opportunity was one 'I should not pass up.'

Trump was sufficiently impressed with Blanche's conduct during the New York trial, including his willingness to spar with the presiding judge and witnesses on camera, that he tapped him as deputy attorney general upon returning to the White House in January 2025. Trump has described Blanche as 'a very talented and respected Legal Mind.' When asked at the 7 April press conference whether he wanted to be confirmed as full-time attorney general, Blanche said: 'I love working for President Trump. It's the greatest honor of a lifetime.'

Bondi's Ouster and the Prosecutions That Weren't

Blanche's elevation followed Trump's abrupt dismissal of Pam Bondi, whose 14-month tenure at the DOJ ended on 2 April 2026. According to reporting by NBC News and CNN, Trump grew frustrated with Bondi's failure to secure prosecutions of his political adversaries, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Grand juries in at least one case declined to indict, and career prosecutors working on related matters signalled that their evidence fell well short of trial-worthy thresholds.

Bondi's credibility was further damaged by the politically explosive handling of files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena demanding her appearance for a deposition, with chairman James Comer accusing her of 'completely whiffing' on the investigation. Blanche, who had been involved in decisions about the Epstein files, sidestepped the outstanding subpoena at his press conference, saying he would leave the matter 'to Chairman Comer and others to figure out.' He said he was 'not committing to anything' regarding whether the DOJ would assert executive privilege to block congressional access.

At the 7 April briefing, Blanche would not say whether he was worried about meeting Bondi's fate. He would also not say when Bondi's formal departure from the department would be complete, saying only that he was 'the acting head right now.' Asked directly why she had been removed, he replied: 'Nobody has any idea why the attorney general is no longer the attorney general and I'm the acting attorney general, except for President Trump.'

With grand juries balking, courts intervening, and now a former criminal defence lawyer openly affirming the president's 'duty' to direct federal prosecutions, the institutional independence of the Justice Department has become the central legal and constitutional question of Trump's second term.