Trump's Acting AG Launches "Fraud" Task Force That Conveniently Ignores His Boss's Convictions

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche unveiled the Department of Justice's new National Fraud Enforcement unit on Tuesday, promising to tackle what he called the "full spectrum of fraud" plaguing the United States. The irony is so thick you could cut it with a subpoena.

Blanche, who spent years as Trump's personal defense attorney fighting fraud charges against his client, now helms the very agency responsible for prosecuting fraud. The timing raises an obvious question: will this "full spectrum" include the 34 felony counts of falsifying business records that a New York jury pinned on Trump in May 2024? Or the ongoing investigations into Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election? Or his alleged mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago?

Don't hold your breath.

According to NewsNation, Blanche described the new unit as a response to widespread fraud affecting American families and businesses. He did not specify whether the unit would investigate fraud committed by government officials, elected leaders, or, say, real estate developers who inflate asset values to secure favorable loans while deflating them to dodge taxes. That particular scheme earned Trump a $454 million civil fraud judgment in New York earlier this year—a case Blanche knows intimately, having argued on Trump's behalf.

The National Fraud Enforcement unit represents the latest example of Trump installing loyalists in key law enforcement positions to shield himself from accountability. Blanche's appointment as acting AG came after Trump fired multiple career prosecutors and installed allies across DOJ leadership. The pattern is clear: surround yourself with people who owe you their careers, then redefine "fraud" to exclude anything you've done.

Blanche's legal background makes this appointment particularly galling. As Trump's lead attorney, he defended the former president against charges that Trump paid hush money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, then falsified business records to cover it up. A Manhattan jury didn't buy Blanche's arguments. They convicted Trump on all counts. Trump's sentencing in that case has been delayed multiple times, most recently pushed to April 2025—well after he took office again.

Now Blanche sits atop the DOJ, the same institution that investigated Trump for election interference and document retention violations. Special Counsel Jack Smith spent two years building cases against Trump for attempting to overturn the 2020 election and refusing to return classified documents. Those cases evaporated after Trump won the 2024 election, with Smith citing DOJ policy against prosecuting sitting presidents. Convenient.

The National Fraud Enforcement unit's mandate remains vague. Blanche told reporters the unit would coordinate federal efforts to combat fraud schemes targeting consumers, businesses, and government programs. He mentioned healthcare fraud, wire fraud, and financial crimes. He did not mention political corruption, self-dealing, or abuse of public office for private gain—the kinds of fraud that erode democratic institutions far more effectively than any Ponzi scheme.

This is not the first time a Trump administration official has announced a crackdown on the very behavior Trump exemplifies. In his first term, Trump appointed corporate lobbyists to regulate their former industries, installed climate change deniers to run environmental agencies, and put billionaires in charge of agencies meant to protect workers. The playbook hasn't changed: appoint the fox to guard the henhouse, then act surprised when chickens go missing.

Blanche's announcement also comes as Trump continues to face legal jeopardy in multiple jurisdictions. Georgia prosecutors are still pursuing election interference charges related to Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 results in that state. Civil lawsuits related to the January 6 Capitol attack remain active. And New York Attorney General Letitia James continues to enforce the $454 million judgment against Trump for fraudulent business practices.

The question now is whether Blanche's DOJ will use its resources to protect Trump from these ongoing legal threats. Will the National Fraud Enforcement unit investigate state prosecutors pursuing Trump? Will it target journalists and whistleblowers who expose Trump's misconduct? Will it redefine "fraud" to mean "anything that makes Trump look bad"?

The American public deserves answers. We deserve a Justice Department that prosecutes fraud regardless of who commits it—not one that shields the president while cracking down on everyone else. We deserve an attorney general who understands that the rule of law applies to everyone, not just people without Secret Service details.

Instead, we have Todd Blanche: a man who built his career defending Trump's frauds, now tasked with prosecuting everyone else's. If that's not fraud, it's certainly a con.

The National Fraud Enforcement unit may investigate plenty of criminals in the coming months. But the biggest fraud in America won't be among them. He's too busy signing the executive orders that keep his lawyer employed.