Todd Blanche was sworn in as attorney general on Monday in an Oval Office ceremony led by his former Donald Trump defense-team colleague, Judge Emil Bove.
The swearing-in was held without press access. Blanche’s family members, including his wife, daughter and granddaughter, attended. Blanche told CNN he was “feeling good” as he left the Justice Department Monday for the White House.
Bove’s history with Blanche — and at the Justice Department — make his role in the ceremony notable.
After he and Blanche worked together on Trump’s defense, both were appointed to senior positions within the Justice Department. Bove was acting deputy attorney general before Blanche was confirmed in 2025, then Blanche’s top deputy. He now serves as federal appeals court judge.
At the department, Bove quickly earned a reputation as Trump’s hatchet man, leading the first waves of mass ousting’s of career prosecutors and other department officials. In one notable episode, Bove axed several prosecutors in New York and Washington, DC, who refused to sign their names to court documents dropping corruption charges against former New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
