Todd Blanche buried by avalanche of ex-DOJ employees urging Senate to torpedo nomination

More than 1,200 former Justice Department employees have signed a letter urging senators to reject Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general, a roster of names so long it fills 59 pages.

The letter, dated Monday and addressed to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and ranking member Dick Durbin (D-IL), was distributed by the DOJ alumni group Justice Connection. The signers, who served under both Republican and Democratic administrations, wrote that their oath was to the Constitution, not to whoever occupies the White House.

Trump nominated Blanche, his former personal defense attorney, after firing Attorney General Pam Bondi in April and elevating him from deputy to acting attorney general.

The alumni focused on what they called Blanche's degradation of the department's career workforce. Under his leadership, they wrote, roughly 16,000 employees have left, including FBI agents and more than a quarter of the department's attorneys. They alleged Blanche fired hundreds of employees "for improper, unlawful reasons," diverted agents from terrorism and drug investigations, and drove away skilled applicants.

The signers also pointed to what they described as vindictive prosecutions of the president's foes, the mishandling of the Epstein files, and repeated defiance of judges' orders. Those claims have trailed Blanche's confirmation fight as several Senate Republicans signal resistance.

"The culture of fear Blanche has instilled within DOJ's workforce must end," the letter reads.

The number of signatures floored veteran reporter Scott MacFarlane, who wrote on X: "There are so many signatures… this letter consume[s] 59 pages."

Grassley has called Blanche "well-qualified" and praised his dedication to law and order, and Blanche has said his priority is keeping the country safe.