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American Oversight records showed Deputy AG Blanche personally directed the DOJ's 'Weaponization Working Group'

On July 14, 2026, the watchdog group American Oversight published records — first reported by the New York Times — showing that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche personally oversaw the Justice Department's "Weaponization Working Group," convening recurring meetings in his conference room and assigning senior officials from the Office of the Deputy Attorney General to politically charged investigations. Calendar entries and emails tied those assignments to inquiries involving former Special Counsel Jack Smith, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, January 6 prosecutions, and the 2020 election. The disclosure was released on the eve of Blanche's Senate confirmation hearing to become Attorney General.

Jurisdiction
Federal
Location
Washington, D.C.

Abuses documented

Actors

On July 14, 2026, the watchdog group American Oversight published records it had obtained detailing how Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche oversaw the Justice Department's "Weaponization Working Group." The records, first reported by the New York Times, include calendar entries for recurring Working Group meetings convened at Blanche's request and held in his conference room, along with staffing assignments placing senior officials from the Office of the Deputy Attorney General on politically charged investigations. Those investigations touched election administration, January 6 prosecutions, former Special Counsel Jack Smith, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the FBI's Richmond memorandum, and anti-abortion prosecutions.

The emails show Blanche managing the group's day-to-day work, including a May 2025 message in which he reprimanded Ed Martin, the activist attorney appointed to lead the Working Group, for his public statements: "This is becoming a real problem, Ed. We need to talk about what is going on here? I am frustrated." Other messages describe Blanche's office deploying allies — including Emil Bove — to oversee high-profile investigations following demands from the president and his allies to prosecute his rivals.

The records were released the day before Blanche, previously President Trump's personal criminal defense attorney, was to appear before the Senate for confirmation hearings to become Attorney General. American Oversight's executive director, Chioma Chukwu, said the documents showed Blanche "committed departmental resources to advancing President Trump's efforts targeting political opponents, election administration, and other high-profile vendettas."

Why we recorded this

A politically independent Justice Department is a core democratic norm: prosecutorial power is meant to follow the law and evidence, not a president's list of enemies. Records obtained under public-records law show that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche personally directed the DOJ's "Weaponization Working Group," convening recurring meetings and assigning senior officials to politically charged investigations tied to President Trump's retribution agenda. Documenting this records how the machinery of federal law enforcement was steered to serve the political interests of the president rather than impartial justice.

Sources

  1. Newly Obtained Records Detail Todd Blanche's Oversight of Justice Department "Weaponization" Efforts — American Oversight primary accessed July 14, 2026
  2. Todd Blanche ripped into Trump's weaponization czar and directed key prosecutions of president's enemies, emails show — The Independent secondary accessed July 14, 2026

See also