From Trump’s Attorney to Attorney General: The Rise of Todd Blanche

To be confirmed as the next attorney general, Todd Blanche must convince members of the U.S. Senate that as political as the Department of Justice has become, it would be even worse without him on top. As his confirmation hearing begins, Glenn Thrush, a Justice Department reporter for The New York Times, recounts the unlikely story of how Mr. Blanche became President Trump’s legal enforcer. Guest: Glenn Thrush, a Justice Department reporter for The New York Times. Background reading: A single Republican vote against Mr. Blanche on the Senate Judiciary Committee could effectively sink his confirmation, giving Republican senators leverage to extract concessions from him. Mr. Blanche’s cooperation in Mr. Trump’s campaign to identify, investigate and punish those who had once pursued him and his supporters will be a flashpoint in his confirmation hearing. Photo: Demetrius Freeman for The New York Times For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.