Acting AG Todd Blanche was told last year to recuse from Justice Department matters involving Trump: CNN
The ethics warning came less than two weeks after Blanche became deputy attorney general and cited his prior role as Trump’s defense lawyer.
- In March 2025, ethics official Joseph Tirrell briefed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that he must recuse from legal matters involving President Donald Trump, citing Blanche's prior role as Trump's defense lawyer in federal cases.
- Justice Department regulations prohibit participation "in any criminal investigation or prosecution if he has a personal or political relationship" with relevant individuals, necessitating Blanche's recusal from cases where he previously represented Trump.
- Tirrell, the ethics official who had briefed Blanche on recusal, was fired in July and subsequently sued the Justice Department seeking compensation.
- Two weeks after Tirrell's firing, Blanche interviewed convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell about her past interactions with Trump, intensifying questions about his impartiality in Trump-related matters.
14 Articles
14 Articles
CNN: Blanche Was Told To Recuse From Trump's Cases
CNN reports: It was less than two weeks after Todd Blanche took on his role of deputy attorney general in March 2025 when the Justice Department’s top ethics lawyer delivered some straightforward yet inconvenient news: His recusal from legal cases that involved President Donald Trump in his personal capacity was necessary. The official conducting the briefing, Joseph Tirrell, handed Blanche and his then-top deputy Emil Bove, who was also in the …
Todd Blanche was ordered to recuse from Trump cases — before becoming DOJ head: CNN report
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was urged by the top Justice Department ethics lawyer to recuse himself from any legal cases connected to his former client, President Donald Trump, according to a new CNN report on Thursday.Just after Blanche took on the role of deputy attorney general in March ...
DOJ Ethics Officials Told Todd Blanche To Recuse From Trump Matters, Report Claims
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was formally advised last year to recuse himself from Justice Department matters involving President Donald Trump in his personal capacity, according to CNN. The report said Justice Department ethics official Joseph Tirrell informed Blanche in March 2025 that his previous work as Trump’s criminal defense attorney created potential conflicts of interest. Blanche had represented Trump in federal cases tied to c…
By Katelyn Polantz, Evan Perez and Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN. Just two weeks after Todd Blanche took over as assistant attorney general in March 2025, the department’s top ethics adviser delivered some blunt, if uncomfortable, news: he was required to recuse himself from any court cases involving President Donald Trump in a personal capacity. The official in charge of the briefing, Joseph Tirrell, handed Blanche—and his then-principal deputy, Emil …
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