Todd Blanche named interim Attorney General following Pam Bondi’s removal, transition to ‘important new job in private sector’

OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
10:39 AM – Thursday, April 2, 2026

In a shake-up of the nation’s top law enforcement agency, President Donald Trump removed now-former Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday morning, immediately naming Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as the interim head of the Department of Justice (DOJ).

However, in a Truth Social Post, the president also explained that Bondi “will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector.”

The dismissal marks the second high-profile Cabinet departure in the past few months, following the removal of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on April 1^st. Noem has since been appointed as the Special Envoy for the “Shield of the Americas” in the Trump administration.

Meanwhile, Bondi’s transition into a new role follows months of simmering tension within the White House. While President Trump publicly praised her as a “wonderful person” as recently as this week, sources close to the administration say he had grown deeply frustrated with her performance.

Bondi had faced intense scrutiny from both sides of the aisle over the DOJ’s handling of investigative files related to the late pedophile sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. After initially suggesting she had an Epstein “client list” for review, the DOJ later walked back those claims, leading to Democrat-led allegations of a “botched” transparency effort.

Bondi had been scheduled to provide a high-stakes deposition to the House Oversight Committee on April 14^th regarding the Epstein investigation — a task that will now likely fall to her successor.

Todd Blanche, who was confirmed as Deputy Attorney General in March 2025, now steps into the role of Acting Attorney General, effective immediately. Blanche is a deeply trusted figure within the administration, having previously served as the president’s lead defense attorney in several high-profile criminal cases.

Just last week, he drew fire from civil rights groups after an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), where he endorsed the idea of deploying federal agents to polling sites for the 2026 midterms to prevent illegal voting — despite Democrat claims that such a thing never occurs.

“Todd is a fighter who understands exactly what this administration needs to accomplish,” said a White House official speaking on the condition of anonymity. “He doesn’t just know the law; he knows the mission.”

Blanche’s tenure as interim chief is expected to be defined by a renewed focus on immigration enforcement and a “cleansing” of the civil service ranks. In his first hours as Deputy AG last year, Blanche issued a memorandum shifting DOJ hiring toward the Mexico-U.S. border, a policy he is expected to accelerate as acting head.

As of Thursday afternoon, Blanche has already moved into the Attorney General’s suite at “Main Justice,” signaling that the transition is well underway. The White House is expected to make another formal announcement regarding a permanent nominee in the coming days.

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