Attorney General Todd Blanche stood alongside President Donald Trump at the Nassau County police academy on Aug. 14 and called the county's Republican executive, Bruce Blakeman, great for backing law enforcement. That single word — great — is now at the center of a political activity complaint that accuses the nation's top law enforcement officer of improperly boosting a candidate for New York governor while wearing his federal hat.
What Happened at the Police Academy
The event featured Republican candidates for Congress from around New York, according to wshu.org. The White House described the gathering as an official appearance to announce crime statistics, while Trump later characterized it on social media as a rally honoring Blakeman, who is challenging Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and has Trump's endorsement. Blanche used the moment to praise Blakeman directly, saying he was doing everything needed to back the blue, support law enforcement, and make Nassau County safe, according to a complaint filed by Public Citizen.
Public Citizen argues that praising a candidate as great during an official-looking government event amounts to an effective endorsement, a claim also detailed by wshu.org. New York Democrats separately allege the appearance was an improper partisan rally that leaned on Nassau County government resources for Blakeman's campaign, per the same station's reporting. A Justice Department spokesperson called the complaint baseless and politically motivated, wshu.org reported.
Blanche's Defense and a Pattern of Appearances
Blanche has said he attended the Long Island event to thank police and law enforcement, and that he was discussing Trump's work rather than endorsing anyone, according to reporting from Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer published by Fox31 Denver. He has denied endorsing political candidates and said he would speak whenever the president asked him to. Blanche has also promoted the administration's approach to violent crime, drug trafficking, and illegal border crossings at various appearances, crediting Trump and Vice President Vance with improving public safety and arguing more people are safer than they were two years earlier, per that same account.
The Long Island event was not an isolated stop. Blanche has spoken at an event for a Republican Senate candidate in North Carolina, at an event for Senate nominee Michael Whatley, and at a GOP midterm convention, according to the Fox31 Denver report. He has also called Trump the greatest president of his generation and defended Trump's interests inside the Justice Department, rejecting accusations that the White House was improperly involved in agency matters and that the administration has politicized the department. Blanche previously took part in an event at the Conservative Political Action Conference, which Democracy Docket described as the second time he has participated in a norm-shattering political event.
A Former Trump Lawyer Now Leading the Justice Department
Blanche is a former personal lawyer for Trump, and the Justice Department brought two criminal cases against Trump under President Joe Biden before Blanche took the top job, the AP report notes. Critics have raised concerns about Blanche's loyalty to Trump and the possibility of White House influence over Justice Department matters, and attorney Richard Painter has said Blanche's appearances lend credence to arguments that the department is hopelessly politicized, according to Fox31 Denver's account. Traditionally, attorneys general have stayed away from political rallies and maintained distance from the White House, the same reporting states, and critics say Blanche's rally participation threatens public faith in law enforcement decisions.
The Justice Department maintains that Blanche's political-event appearances were made in his personal capacity, that his speeches addressed administration efforts broadly rather than agency policy, and that his travel expenses are reimbursed in accordance with federal law, regulations and policies, per Fox31 Denver. A spokesperson identified as Kiersten Pels said the appearances were reviewed and cleared by Justice Department ethics officials, the outlet reported.
The Rules Have Changed Under Bondi
Attorney General Pam Bondi rescinded a policy that had barred political appointees at the Justice Department from attending campaign events or fundraisers, according to CBS News. The rescinded memo, dated July 8, 2024, had banned political appointees from running for office, endorsing candidates, attending rallies and serving as party convention delegates, per NOTUS. Bondi's new memo revokes anything that goes beyond the restrictions set by the Hatch Act, though that law still governs department employees, including political appointees, CBS News reported. Some FBI employees and staff in the criminal and national security divisions remain subject to higher statutory restrictions, per the NOTUS report.
The Hatch Act itself prohibits government officials from using their official positions to influence elections or supporting candidates while acting in an official capacity, per the underlying record. Former government lawyer Eric Columbus warned that unwinding the stricter rules unnecessarily opens the door to further politicization of the department, since political appointees supervise career employees, according to NOTUS. Former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell argued that U.S. attorneys, of all officials, should not be engaged in political activities, the same outlet reported. Sen. Tom Cotton has separately written that U.S. attorneys should act as nonpartisan law enforcement officials, according to Fox31 Denver's report.
Echoes of the Rollins Case
The dispute over Blanche recalls an earlier controversy involving former Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins, who attended a Democratic National Committee fundraiser featuring first lady Jill Biden. The Justice Department's inspector general opened an investigation into that appearance, according to WGBH, and the U.S. Office of Special Counsel separately examined whether Rollins's attendance violated the Hatch Act. Sen. Cotton had sought an investigation into that fundraiser appearance, per Fox31 Denver's account, and Attorney General Merrick Garland later barred political appointees from attending fundraisers and other campaign events, tightening restrictions in 2022 and saying politics should not affect law enforcement or investigations, in fact or in appearance, according to WGBH.
The inspector general's report on Rollins ultimately alleged a broad array of misconduct, according to Boston 25 News, and the Office of Special Counsel examined whether Rollins's attendance violated the Hatch Act. Rollins was forced to resign from her position. The episode also drew scrutiny over whether a U.S. attorney might appear to be using the office to support a candidate.
Bondi has also presided over the Justice Department. The broader question of personnel changes remains part of the discussion. Whether Public Citizen's complaint against Blanche results in any formal finding remains to be seen.
