Letter warns of ‘generational impact’ from 16,000 staff departures
Justice Connection, a nonprofit that advocates for career employees at the Justice Department, on Monday sent the Senate Judiciary Committee a letter signed by more than 1,200 former DOJ employees urging the panel to reject Todd Blanche’s nomination as attorney general.
The signatories include former career attorneys and staff who served under both Republican and Democratic administrations, according to the group. The letter argues that Blanche’s leadership has prioritized loyalty to President Donald Trump over the Constitution and that he has overseen the departure of more than 16,000 employees, including more than a quarter of the department’s attorneys.
“Since his confirmation as Deputy Attorney General, Todd Blanche has shown time and again that his guiding star is fealty to the president, not the Constitution,” Stacey Young, executive director and founder of Justice Connection, said in a statement.
“That fealty led to the purge of thousands of experienced career employees, a loss that will have a generational impact on the Justice Department’s ability to carry out its mission and maintain credibility with the courts and the American people,” Young said.
According to the letter, the departures have degraded the department’s ability to carry out its core responsibilities. “The consequences of Blanche’s attacks on DOJ’s apolitical workforce radiate beyond the halls of Main Justice, affecting the entire country,” the letter reads. “They’ve meant that much of the department’s vital work isn’t being done, or isn’t being done well — leaving communities less safe, Americans’ rights less protected, and our national security more vulnerable.”
The letter also argues that Blanche has been “demonizing career employees” and undermining the department’s apolitical mission, according to The Hill. It criticizes Blanche’s support for Trump’s plan to provide payments to individuals involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach and other political allies, according to UPI.
Blanche was nominated by Trump last month to succeed former Attorney General Pam Bondi. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold confirmation hearings on July 15 and 16.