The second-highest official at the DOJ, Todd Blanche rose to prominence as Trump’s personal defense attorney. His actions violated the federal conflicts of interest law and his ethics agreement, experts told ProPublica.
Before his confirmation as the Justice Department’s No. 2 official, Todd Blanche agreed to divest up to $485,000 in cryptocurrency and avoid matters affecting those interests. Yet before selling his holdings, Blanche ordered an end to Biden-era crypto investigations, disbanded a DOJ crypto enforcement team, and directed the department to support President Trump’s pro-crypto agenda. Ethics experts said these actions violated conflict-of-interest rules and Blanche’s own ethics agreement. Blanche later transferred his crypto assets to adult children and a grandchild—a move legal but contrary to the spirit of federal ethics laws.