Their president said that acting minister Todd Blanch could take over this position permanently, giving a “vote of confidence” to his former staff, who has been heavily criticized by some high-ranking officials of the Republican party lately.
“He’s a very talented guy. Todd is doing a great job in the ministry,” he said in an interview on the Pod Force One podcast. When asked if Blanche will be the next justice minister, he replied: “I think he will be.” The American president did not specify when he will propose the appointment, which will have to be approved by the Senate.
Strong criticisms against Blanche
Blanch’s term as interim head of the ministry ends at the end of October. But it could be extended if Trump nominates him or someone else for the post. Blanch needs nearly all of the Republican votes in the Senate (they have a 53-seat majority to Democrats’ 47) to approve the nomination
Some Republican senators, however, and even White House officials, criticized him for his now-dead plan to create a $1.8 billion fund for alleged “victims of criminal justice.” On Tuesday, Blanche announced that the ministry would not proceed with this plan after all.
A department official said Blanch was not involved in negotiations to create the fund, which emerged as part of an out-of-court settlement in which Trump dropped his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). But it was Blanche who gave the order for the creation of the Fund and defended it as a “necessary step” to redress past injustices.
The settlement was widely condemned as a “black fund” that would benefit Trump’s political allies, since it would compensate victims of alleged wrongdoing by Democrats and other career administration officials, but not Republicans. It has never been ruled out that those convicted of the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 could also be paid.
Trump defended the Fund
In his interview, Trump defended the Fund. “They are people who have been destroyed. And I pardoned them. I am very proud to have pardoned them and I think they should (be compensated) for the corrupt government,” he said.
Blanch, who took over as acting attorney general in April, won favor with Trump and his allies for bringing criminal charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center (a well-known civil rights group criticized by conservatives) and former FBI chief James Comey, a longtime Trump foe.
Trump said he was pleased with the pace of the Justice Department’s actions, “much more now than before.” Blanch’s predecessor, Pam Boddy, was fired in part because cases against people whom Trump considers his political enemies were not proceeding quickly. Blanch continued the radical restructuring of the Department of Justice to align with Trump’s personal and political interests, writes the Reuters agency.
