Todd Wallace Blanche (born August 6, 1974) is an American attorney who became the 88th U.S. Attorney General in August 2026, after a rapid political ascent. A former federal prosecutor with the Southern District of New York and a partner at Cadwalader, he first gained prominence defending Trump associates like Paul Manafort before leading Donald Trump's defense in the 2024 criminal hush-money trial and other major cases. Following Trump's election victory, Blanche was confirmed as deputy attorney general in March 2025, and in May 2025 he was controversially named acting Librarian of Congress, a move whose legality was disputed. He became acting attorney general in April 2026 after Pam Bondi's firing, was nominated for the permanent post in June, and was confirmed by the Senate on August 8, 2026, being sworn in two days later. With a background spanning Brooklyn Law School and American University, Blanche's career has been defined by his transition from prosecutor to key legal defender of the president.