Chaos erupts at Trump's DOJ with no permanent AG in sight

During his first presidency, Donald Trump fired a long list of conservative appointees — from former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to ex-U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to former National Security Advisor John Bolton to ex-White Chief of Staff John F. Kelly. Trump hasn't fired nearly as many appointees during his second presidency, as many of picks were ultra-MAGA loyalists who were unlikely to question or challenge him. The first Trump Administration had a lot more turnover than the second one.

But in 2026, Trump fired two of his most prominent loyalists: first former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, then ex-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Since Bondi's departure from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Todd Blanche has been serving as acting attorney general. And it remains to be seen whether Trump's nominee for a permanent AG, if he chooses one, will be Blanche, federal prosecutor and former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, Harmeet K. Dhillon (who presently heads the DOJ Civil Rights Division), or someone else.

In an article published on April 20, Washington Post reporters Jeremy Roebuck, Perry Stein, Salvador Rizzo and Theodoric Meyer examine the chaos plaguing the post-Bondi DOJ.

"Since President Donald Trump tapped Todd Blanche, his former defense attorney, to temporarily lead the Justice Department this month, the message from those familiar with the president's thinking has remained consistent: A permanent shot at the job of attorney general is Blanche's to lose," the Post journalists explain. "But that hasn't stopped a frenzied competition to push other candidates for what has become one of the most important Cabinet-level posts in the president's plans for his second term. And the uncertainty around top leadership roles has prompted concern from some in a department already struggling with claims of politicization and the abandonment of long-held norms over the lengths to which Trump's next pick may go to impress him."

Roebuck, Stein, Rizzo and Meyer note that Trump "has given no indication of when, or if, he intends to formally nominate a permanent replacement for Bondi."

"Either option carries risks," the journalists report. "Nominating Blanche could result in a fiery confirmation fight, but leaving him as an unconfirmed attorney general gives him less stature and legitimacy…. Trump's decision to fire Bondi followed months of frustration with the limited progress she had made in delivering on one of his chief expectations for the department: his desire to see his political enemies put on trial…. Even without a nomination, Blanche could continue to lead the Justice Department in an acting capacity for months to come."

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