Todd Blanche

obstruction-perjury · 2025-03-15 · U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Chief Judge James Boasberg); D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals · Judge Boasberg found probable cause of criminal contempt on approximately April 16, 2025, after Blanche (then Deputy AG) and Emil Bove advised DHS that a written TRO could be ignored during Venezuelan deportation flights. A D.C. Circuit panel halted the contempt probe via writ of mandamus in April 2026. A petition for en banc rehearing is pending. No trial, conviction, or final contempt finding has been issued.

Sources: Just Security · CNN Politics · Raw Story · Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse

abuse-of-office · 2025-05-21 · Kilmar Abrego Garcia was indicted in May 2025 (unsealed June 6, 2025) in Tennessee on human-smuggling and conspiracy charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop, after the Trump administration was ordered to facilitate his return from erroneous deportation to El Salvador. In October 2025, a court allowed Abrego Garcia's vindictive-prosecution claim to proceed. On May 22, 2026, U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw dismissed the criminal charges, finding 'presumptive vindictiveness' and calling the case an 'abuse of prosecuting power.' The judge specifically cited statements and sustained oversight by then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as evidence the prosecution was pursued in retaliation for Abrego Garcia's successful legal challenge to his deportation, saying Blanche's conduct 'taints the investigation with a vindictive motive.' The finding became a central basis for subsequent bar ethics complaints against Blanche. DOJ filed a notice of appeal to the Sixth Circuit on June 23, 2026. · Charges dismissed by district court; dismissal now on appeal to the Sixth Circuit (unresolved at appellate level as of early July 2026).

Sources: NPR · CNN · The Hill · Maryland Matters