New letter questions officials’ compliance with federal ethics laws during DOJ shake-up
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee, has sent a letter to the Department of Justice seeking information from Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche regarding his unusual transition into former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s role following her firing.
On April 2, President Trump announced he was firing Attorney General Bondi, ending her disastrous tenure as Attorney General, and appointing Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as Acting Attorney General. During her tenure, Bondi bent the Department to the will of President Trump. Trump vaguely claimed Bondi would be “transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector,” which Bondi confirmed. Given Bondi’s history of blindly carrying out the President’s bidding and her abrupt announcement of a new, undisclosed employer, Whitehouse questioned whether the former Attorney General has followed required ethics processes and recused herself from matters affecting the unknown employer’s financial interests.
“As you know, federal regulations require government officials to recuse from certain matters that have a ‘direct and predictable effect’ on a prospective employer’s financial interests, and officials like the Attorney General must file with the appropriate ethics official a notification once negotiations have begun with a prospective employer that is a ‘non-Federal entity,’” wrote Whitehouse in the new letter. “Federal law criminalizes the failure to recuse once negotiations begin with any prospective employer.”
Bondi’s announcement also conflicted with Blanche’s statement to the press days later regarding the timing of her transition out of DOJ.
“Ms. Bondi’s announcement also said she would be ‘working tirelessly to transition the office of Attorney General’ to you ‘over the next month.’ However, at your April 7 press conference, you said you are already Acting Attorney General and declined to provide Ms. Bondi’s exact departure date,” Whitehouse continued.
The exact date that Blanche’s tenure began and the authority under which he was appointed are important to understanding how long he can serve in that role. Federal law provides strict requirements for how long and in what capacity someone can serve as Attorney General on a temporary basis.
Whitehouse requested documentation and answers to the following questions by April 23, 2026:
- Please provide a copy of the notification provided by Ms. Bondi to the relevant ethics official pursuant to 5 C.F.R. § 2635.607.
- Please provide copies of any determinations granting to Ms. Bondi an exemption under 18 U.S.C. § 208.
- On what date did Ms. Bondi’s employment at the Department of Justice terminate? If she is still a Department of Justice employee, what is her current title and on what date does she expect to leave the Department?
- On what date did you officially assume the role of Acting Attorney General?
- Under what statutory authority are you now serving as Acting Attorney General?
- What is the “important private sector role” and when was it first discussed and finally agreed to?
The full letter is available here.
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