President Trump has fired Pam Bondi and replaced her with Todd Blanche as interim U.S. Attorney General, according to reports from crypto.news and CBS News. Bondi confirmed her departure in an April 2 post on X, writing that she would be "working tirelessly to transition the office of Attorney General to the amazing Todd Blanche" before moving to an unspecified private sector role. CNN reports that Trump had grown frustrated with Bondi in recent days over her performance, with key frustrations including her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and concerns that she had not pursued investigations or prosecutions against Trump's political adversaries as aggressively as he wanted. During the firing conversation, Trump spoke privately with allies about firing Bondi and the conversation was described as "rough" by White House insiders. The administration is now seeking permanent replacements, with Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, among others under consideration.
As Deputy Attorney General, Todd Blanche authored the April 2025 memo that formally disbanded the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, declaring in plain language that the DOJ "is not a digital assets regulator" and criticizing the prior administration's approach as a "reckless strategy of regulation by prosecution," as reported by crypto.news. The memo directed prosecutors to stop pursuing cases against crypto exchanges, mixers, and offline wallets for end-user behavior, shifting enforcement focus to individuals directly defrauding investors. Blanche also holds reported personal crypto exposure of up to $485,000 in digital assets. In his X post, Blanche praised Bondi while thanking Trump for the appointment, writing "Thank you to President Trump for the trust and the opportunity to serve as Acting Attorney General. We will continue backing the blue, enforcing the law, and doing everything in our power to keep America safe."
Blanche's elevation to acting AG signals continuity and likely intensification of the DOJ's current posture toward digital asset enforcement, according to crypto.news. The NCET, which handled major crypto fraud cases and supported cross-border law enforcement coordination, remains disbanded. The closure, combined with the prior directive to deprioritize structural crypto enforcement, has already reshaped how federal prosecutors approach the space. Trump announced the change via Truth Social, describing Blanche as a "very talented and respected Legal Mind." The department has also dismantled its Public Integrity Section and greatly scaled back its focus on pursuing white-collar crime in favor of making immigration and narco-trafficking the priority.
The appointment hands the Justice Department's leadership to one of the most crypto-friendly figures in U.S. federal law enforcement history, as reported by crypto.news. The White House has not yet specified a timeline for a permanent nomination, with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin reportedly under consideration. The policy choices Blanche represents become structurally harder to reverse regardless of who eventually takes the permanent AG role. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley said the panel stands "ready to advance President Trump's next Attorney General nominee," and thanked Bondi for her service, noting that "under her leadership, this Justice Department has been more responsive to my congressional oversight requests than any prior administration I've worked with."
