Todd Blanche
Acting Attorney General of the United States
9 articlesPower
Bondi Misses Epstein Deposition; Democrats File Civil Contempt Resolution, Republicans Schedule May 29 Interview
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi did not appear for a bipartisan Oversight Committee deposition on April 14, 2026, despite a legally binding subpoena. On April 29, House Oversight Democrats filed a civil contempt resolution. Within 45 minutes, Republicans confirmed a new date: Bondi will give a transcribed interview on May 29.
World
Woodland Hills Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Grand Jury Indictment Charging Iran-to-Sudan Weapons Brokering Through Oman Shell Company
Shamim Mafi, an Iranian-born U.S. permanent resident, was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 1 and pleaded not guilty on May 8 to IEEPA conspiracy charges alleging she used an Oman-registered company to broker a €61.6 million drone sale, 55,000 bomb fuses, and 240 million rounds of ammunition from Iran's defense establishment to Sudan's military — while allegedly admitting to FBI agents at LAX that she knew the activity violated U.S. sanctions.
Money
DOJ Moves FDA-Approved and State-Licensed Medical Marijuana to Schedule III, Sets June 29 Hearing on Broader Reclassification
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an order on April 23 placing FDA-approved cannabinoid drugs and state-licensed medical marijuana in Schedule III — the same tier as ketamine and anabolic steroids — while leaving recreational marijuana in Schedule I pending a June 29 DEA hearing on broader rescheduling.
Power
DOJ Charges Fort Bragg Soldier With Turning $33,034 Into $409,881 on Polymarket Using Classified Intel on the Operation That Captured Maduro
The Justice Department on Thursday unsealed a five-count indictment against Army soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke, alleging he used classified knowledge of Operation Absolute Resolve—the military mission that captured Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on January 3—to win binary event contracts on Polymarket, then tried to erase his account and move the proceeds through a foreign crypto vault.
World
DOJ: Woodland Hills Woman Brokered $70M Iranian Drone Sale to Sudan, Arrested at LAX With Iranian Intelligence Ties
Shamim Mafi, 44, an Iranian national who became a U.S. lawful permanent resident under the Obama administration in 2016, was arrested Saturday night at LAX before boarding a flight out of the U.S. A federal criminal complaint charges her with conspiring to broker Iranian weapons sales to Sudan — including a $70M+ Mohajer-6 drone deal and 55,000 bomb fuses — in violation of U.S. sanctions, with records showing 62 phone contacts with an Iranian intelligence officer.
Power
DOJ Report: Biden Administration Sought Double the Prison Time for Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice FACE Act Defendants
A Justice Department review of 700,000 internal records found that Biden-era prosecutors requested an average of 26.8 months for pro-life defendants under the FACE Act versus 12.3 months for pro-choice defendants, and coordinated enforcement targets with abortion-rights organizations.
Power
Acting AG Blanche Says Trump Has 'Right' and 'Duty' to Order DOJ Investigations Into His Enemies
In his first press conference after replacing fired AG Pam Bondi, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the president has the "right" and "duty" to direct Justice Department investigations -- including into people Trump "has had issues with."
Power
Two Consent Decrees Now Bar Four Federal Agencies from Pressuring Social Media Platforms Through 2036
Federal courts in Louisiana and Texas have entered binding consent decrees restricting CDC, CISA, the Surgeon General, and the State Department from coercing social media companies to suppress speech -- the first court-ordered limits on government-platform relations, though significant gaps remain.
Power
IBM Pays $17M to DOJ to Settle First-Ever Civil Rights Fraud Initiative Case, Targeting Diversity Modifiers and 'Diverse Interview Slates'
In the inaugural resolution of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Fraud Initiative, IBM agreed Friday to pay $17,077,043 over allegations that its federal contracts were tainted by DEI practices that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called "repackaged" racial discrimination.