2026-04-21T10:00:55.196Z / 美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）
作者：宝拉·里德、凯西·甘农
发布于1小时59分钟前
2026年4月21日美国东部时间早上6:00
代理司法部长托德·布兰奇于周一前往佛罗里达州，会见了一名新任命的检察官，后者将负责处理对总统唐纳德·特朗普而言最重要的案件之一：针对前中央情报局局长、特朗普批评者约翰·布伦南的调查。
此次会面之际，布兰奇正竭力证明自己能够落实特朗普的首要优先事项：起诉总统的政治对手。
上任不到两周，布兰奇已采取公开行动推进特朗普的议程，包括改组调查布伦南的团队、发布备受期待的反堕胎抗议报告，以及监督撤销参与2021年1月6日国会山骚乱的骄傲男孩组织和誓言守护者组织成员的定罪。
特朗普已对布兰奇目前担任代理司法部长的工作表示赞许，据接受CNN采访的现任和前任政府官员透露，这个职位似乎已是他的囊中之物，除非自己失误。
但官员们表示，布兰奇仍需应对前任司法部长帕姆·邦迪在近期被解雇前任职期间遭遇的诸多障碍。
与邦迪一样，他必须面对检察官士气低落以及围绕杰弗里·爱泼斯坦文件发布的持续争议。
针对特朗普政治对手的高调起诉必须经受住法官和大陪审团的考验，迄今为止已有多次相关尝试遭到驳回。
而且，负责调查的职业检察官未必会全力配合。
“许多检察官反对总统的议程，对那些对白宫而言重要的案件毫无兴趣，”民权部门负责人哈米特·迪隆近期对CNN表示。
布兰奇必须直面这些挑战，同时其他司法部高级官员也在试图证明，如果布兰奇无法胜任，他们有能力落实特朗普的议程。
起诉特朗普的政治对手
据一名司法部官员透露，布兰奇周一在佛罗里达州参加一场法律活动期间，会见了佛罗里达州南区联邦检察官杰森·雷丁·基尼奥内斯、司法部官员克里斯托弗-詹姆斯·德洛伦佐，以及新上任的司法部长顾问约瑟夫·迪杰诺瓦。此次会面此前未被报道。
迪杰诺瓦将负责布伦南的调查，该调查聚焦于特朗普长期以来的政治不满之一：2017年的情报评估认定俄罗斯干预2016年美国总统大选以帮助特朗普获胜。
对特朗普来说，起诉布伦南这类案件——以及追查早已被驳斥的2020年大选被盗言论——是当务之急。他此前曾直接向司法部官员抱怨，对调查进展缓慢感到不满。
相关报道：司法部将特朗普前律师加入对特朗普批评者约翰·布伦南的调查 阅读时长：2分钟
近期一些迅速推进的起诉最终失败。去年11月，一名联邦法官驳回了对纽约州总检察长利蒂希娅·詹姆斯和前联邦调查局局长詹姆斯·科米的指控。司法部曾多次尝试重新起诉詹姆斯，但未能说服大陪审团提起诉讼。
今年2月，大陪审团驳回了对六名民主党议员的刑事指控，这些议员曾发布视频呼吁军人违抗特朗普政府的非法命令。
落实特朗普议程的工作让邦迪付出了代价，据消息人士透露，她有时认为自己被要求去做不可能完成的事情。
邦迪拒绝为本文置评。
她上任之初成立了“武器化工作组”， tasked with investigating actions by prosecutors during the previous administrations who Trump officials allege were politically motivated. 其目标包括针对詹姆斯的案件、前特别检察官杰克·史密斯的调查，以及针对国会山骚乱参与者的大规模起诉。该小组的任务是发布可支持刑事指控的公开报告。
然而到邦迪4月初卸任时，该小组尚未发布任何一份报告。
相关报道：帕姆·邦迪如何丢了工作 阅读时长：7分钟
司法部第二高职位的副司法部长斯坦·伍德沃德为武器化工作组的工作进度向CNN进行了辩护。
“我们的责任不只是将那些不当行为贴上武器化的标签，而是要证明这一点，并找到武器化的证据，”他说。“而这需要时间。”
上任第一周，布兰奇就监督发布了该小组的第一份报告——这份报告指控拜登政府司法部在打击堕胎抗议者时存在偏见。司法部解雇了四名参与相关案件的检察官。
这份报告对部分共和党人而言意义重大，但该小组仍未发布任何与那些调查导致总统面临刑事指控的人员相关的内容。
“武器化工作之所以困难，部分原因在于你需要既是‘让美国再次伟大’（MAGA）的支持者，又真正具备能力的人才，”邦迪的前幕僚长查德·米泽尔表示。“许多职业检察官对这类工作不感兴趣。参与的人非常少。”
米泽尔曾与布兰奇共事，他指出，即便司法部能够对特朗普的一名政治对手提起诉讼，他们也将面临顶尖辩护律师的对抗。
但米泽尔最终表示，他“相信”布兰奇将在这些起诉中取得成功。
CNN高级法律分析师埃利·霍尼格表示，对于可能抵制这类调查的职业检察官来说，这可能与这些案件的证据力度有关。
“司法部检察官通常不会回避具有挑战性的重大案件；恰恰相反，他们更有可能被高风险事务吸引，”曾担任州和联邦检察官的霍尼格说。“所以当你看到职业的、非政治的检察官对某些带有政治色彩的案件表示怀疑时，通常是因为他们看不到支持刑事指控的证据。司法部检察官行事积极但从不鲁莽，他们不会提起他们认为无法胜诉的指控。”
但在一个出现了恪守传统保守主义者与被称为“MAGA”的铁杆特朗普忠诚派之间裂痕的政府中，一些人仍在质疑布兰奇是否愿意为实现总统的意愿全力以赴。
相关报道：特朗普青睐的律师之间的分歧暴露了政府内部更广泛的MAGA阵营裂痕 阅读时长：6分钟
一名高级政府官员质疑布兰奇是否为支持MAGA运动付出了足够多的努力。
“托德掌管着司法部，但他在支持MAGA方面做得还不够，”该官员表示。
其他人则不同意这种说法。
“托德·布兰奇多年来不惜一切代价为特朗普总统辩护，包括多年来每天在法庭上代表特朗普总统，”长期担任特朗普法律顾问的迈克·戴维斯说。“他不需要向任何人证明自己的MAGA资历。”
爱泼斯坦事件仍余波未平
MAGA阵营一再批评司法部对爱泼斯坦文件的处理方式。
2025年2月，邦迪在接受福克斯新闻采访时称，爱泼斯坦的客户名单——司法部后来表示没有证据表明该名单存在——就放在她的办公桌上。她的部门还大肆宣传所谓的“爱泼斯坦档案夹”，并将其分发给MAGA影响力人士，但最终首次发布的内容大多已是公开信息。
随着邦迪屡屡受挫，布兰奇成为司法部在该调查中的主要发言人，并最终监督了数百万份文件的发布。
他2025年7月探访杰弗里·爱泼斯坦同案犯吉斯莱恩·麦克斯韦尔的争议性访问，以及他发表的“除非出现新信息，否则爱泼斯坦案不会有新指控”的言论，也受到了审查。
“首先，爱泼斯坦事件是本届司法部的原罪，托德无法让我们摆脱这一点，”一名高级政府官员说道。
但司法部为其在爱泼斯坦事件上的努力进行了辩护。
“代理司法部长去年会见了吉斯莱恩·麦克斯韦尔和她的律师，因为她从未与执法部门见过面，确定她是否掌握此前未披露的信息符合公众利益。整个约谈记录都是公开的，”一名司法部官员近期表示。
“至于文件制作方面，我们在极短时间内审查了数百万份文件，发布了所有符合法律要求的文件，以遵守相关法案，”该官员说。“尽管这在社交媒体上是一个热门话题，但任何司法部长都会看到同样的情况：所有文件都已发布。”
司法部官员虎视眈眈
如果布兰奇无法让总统满意，有几位知名的司法部官员似乎已准备好接任该职位。
在过去几个月里，美国检察官珍妮·皮罗——这位与总统有直接联系的知名电视名人——一直试图获得更多关注。
她设立了一条举报热线，收集有关前众议员埃里克·斯沃韦尔的性侵指控相关信息，并举行新闻发布会谴责一名联邦法官阻止司法部对美联储主席杰罗姆·鲍威尔发出传票。
皮罗比其他联邦检察官拥有更多自主权，有时甚至会让白宫对她的工作感到意外，这引发了人们的质疑：她是否在角逐司法部长一职。
当被问及是否有意接任该职位时，皮罗向CNN发表声明称：“作为华盛顿特区的联邦检察官，我亲眼目睹了托德·布兰奇的能力、经验和领导才能。他在司法部工作超过15年，与总统有着独特的关系，是领导司法部的最佳人选。”
作风强硬的民权部门负责人迪隆也被认为是该职位的潜在候选人。她一直在重塑该部门，重点是推翻多元化、公平性和包容性（DEI）举措，并打击反犹太主义。
她对CNN表示：“托德是总统的人选，我完全支持。我与他合作愉快。他非常支持总部大楼里的普通和职业律师。”
根据《联邦空缺改革法案》，布兰奇可以担任代理司法部长长达210天，因此该职位无需在11月前进行永久任命。
即便布兰奇得到了这个职位，特朗普过往的司法部长最终都被解雇、替换或辞职。
不过，如果布兰奇没能得到这个职位，他最近对记者表示，他不会因此怪罪总统。
“如果他选择提名其他人，并让我去做其他事情，我会说：‘非常感谢，我爱您，总统先生。’”
Inside Todd Blanche’s audition for attorney general
2026-04-21T10:00:55.196Z / CNN
By Paula Reid, Casey Gannon
1 hr 59 min ago
PUBLISHED Apr 21, 2026, 6:00 AM ET
Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, DC, on April 7.
Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche traveled to Florida on Monday where he met with a new prosecutor tapped to handle one of the most important cases to President Donald Trump — the investigation into former CIA director and Trump critic John Brennan.
The meeting comes as Blanche fights to prove he’s the man to deliver on Trump’s biggest priority: prosecuting the president’s political adversaries.
Less than two weeks in, Blanche has taken public steps toward delivering on Trump’s agenda by making changes to the team investigating Brennan, releasing a much-anticipated report on anti-abortion protests, and overseeing an effort to vacate the convictions of members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers involved in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
Trump has commended Blanche’s work as acting attorney general so far, and, according to current and former administration officials who spoke to CNN, the job appears to be his to lose.
But officials say Blanche must still contend with many of the hurdles that plagued the tenure of former Attorney General Pam Bondi before her recent firing.
Pam Bondi testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on “Oversight of the Department of Justice” on February 11.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images/File
Like Bondi, he must face low morale among prosecutors and the persistent controversy surrounding the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The high profile prosecutions of Trump’s political foes must survive judges and grand juries who have so far rebuffed many of the attempts.
And buy-in from career prosecutors tasked with the investigations isn’t guaranteed.
“There are many prosecutors out there who are opposed to the president’s agenda and are not interested in doing the kinds of cases that are important to the White House,” Civil Rights Division Chief Harmeet Dhillon recently told CNN.
Blanche will have to face these challenges while other top Justice Department officials attempt to prove their ability to carry out Trump’s agenda if he cannot.
Prosecuting Trump’s political foes
Former CIA director John Brennan testifies before the House Intelligence Committee to take questions on “Russian active measures during the 2016 election campaign” in the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on May 23, 2017.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
While in Florida to speak at a legal event Monday, Blanche met with Jason Reding Quiñones, the US attorney for the southern district of Florida; justice official Christopher-James DeLorenz; and newly installed Counselor to the Attorney General Joseph diGenova, according to a Justice Department official. The meeting had not previously been reported.
DiGenova will now work on the investigation into Brennan, which is focused on one of the president’s longest standing political grievances — the 2017 intelligence assessment that found Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to help him.
For Trump, prosecutions like Brennan’s — and the pursuit of debunked claims of a stolen 2020 election — are top of mind. He previously complained directly to Justice Department officials that he has not been pleased with the slow-moving progress.
Related article Justice Department adds former Trump lawyer to investigation of Trump critic John Brennan 2 min read
Some prosecutions that did move along quickly since fell apart. In November, a federal judge dismissed the charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey. The Justice Department tried multiple times to re-indict James, but failed to convince a grand jury to bring charges.
In February, a grand jury rejected criminal charges against six Democratic lawmakers who posted a video urging service members to defy illegal orders from the Trump administration.
The job of delivering on Trump’s agenda took a toll on Bondi, who sources said believed that she was at times being asked to do the impossible.
Bondi declined to comment for this story.
When she first took office, she formed the “Weaponization Working Group” which was tasked with investigating actions by prosecutors during the previous administrations who Trump officials allege were politically motivated.
Their targets include the cases brought by James, as well as former special counsel Jack Smith, and the sprawling prosecution against those involved in the US Capitol riot. The group was tasked with issuing public reports that could support criminal charges.
By the time Bondi left office in early April, however, the group had not produced a single report.
Related article How Pam Bondi lost her job 7 min read
Associate Attorney General Stan Woodward, the second highest ranking official at the Department, defended the pace of the weaponization group work to CNN.
“It is incumbent upon us not to simply label those travesties as weaponization, but to prove it and go find the evidence of weaponization,” he said. “And that takes time.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, DC, on April 7.
Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images
In his first week in office, Blanche oversaw the release of the group’s first report — one that alleged the Biden Justice Department was biased in how it went after abortion protesters. The department fired four prosecutors who worked on the cases.
The report was significant to some Republicans, but the group still has not produced anything related to the people whose investigations resulted in criminal charges against the president.
“Part of the reason the weaponization work has been difficult is that you need people who are MAGA and who are really competent,” said Chad Mizelle, former chief of staff for Bondi. “Many career prosecutors are not interested in this kind of work. It’s a very small group of people.”
Mizelle worked alongside Blanche and notes that even if the Justice Department can bring a case against one of Trump’s political adversaries, they will be up against top defense attorneys.
In the end, though, Mizelle said he is “confident” Blanche will be successful in these prosecutions.
As for career prosecutors who may resist these kinds of investigations, it may have to do with the strength of those cases, said CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig.
“DOJ prosecutors generally do not shy away from challenging, boldface cases; if anything, they’re more likely to be drawn towards high-stakes matters,” said Honig, a former state and federal prosecutor. “So when you see career, nonpolitical prosecutors expressing doubts about certain cases with political overtones, that’s typically because they simply don’t see the proof to support a criminal charge. DOJ prosecutors are aggressive but they’re not reckless, and they won’t bring a charge that they don’t believe will stick.”
But in an administration that has seen a rift between those dedicated to traditional conservatism and diehard Trump loyalism that has become known as being “MAGA,” some still question whether Blanche is willing to do what it takes to deliver on what the president wants.
Related article A rift between Trump’s favorite lawyers exposes a broader MAGA divide in the administration 6 min read
One senior administration official questioned whether Blanche has done enough to support the MAGA movement.
“Todd is running the show at DOJ, but he has not done enough to support MAGA,” the official said.
Others disagree.
“Todd Blanche put everything on the line to defend President Trump for many years, including representing President Trump in court daily for many years,” said Mike Davis, a longtime Trump legal adviser. “He doesn’t need to prove his MAGA credentials to anyone.”
Epstein still stings
The MAGA base has repeatedly criticized the department’s handling of the Epstein files.
In February 2025, Bondi told Fox News that the Epstein client list — which the department later said there was no evidence of ever existing — was sitting on her desk. Her department also hyped “Epstein binders” of records and handed them out to MAGA influencers, but in the end that initial release contained information that was already in the public domain.
As Bondi repeatedly stumbled, Blanche became the department’s primary spokesman on the investigation and eventually oversaw the release of millions of documents.
His controversial visit to Ghislaine Maxwell in July 2025 and his statement that no charges are expected in the Epstein matter unless new information comes forward had also faced scrutiny.
“First of all, the Epstein situation was the original sin of this Justice Department and Todd doesn’t get us away from that,” said senior administration official
The Justice Department, though, has defended its Epstein efforts.
“The Acting Attorney General met last year with Ghislaine Maxwell and her attorney because she had never met with law enforcement, and it was in the public interest to determine if she had information that had previously not been shared. The entire interview is publicly available,” a Justice Department official said recently.
“As for the file production, all files responsive to the law were released after reviewing millions of documents in a very short timeframe to comply with the Act,” the official said. “Despite it being a popular talking point on social media, any Attorney General will see the same, that all files have been released.”
Justice Department officials on the sidelines
If Blanche cannot satisfy the president, there are several high-profile Justice Department officials who appear poised to step-in.
Over the last few months, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro — a well-known TV personality with a direct line to the president — has sought the limelight.
She set up a tip line for any information regarding former Rep. Eric Swalwell amid allegations of sexual abuse, and she held a press conference scorching a federal judge for blocking DOJ subpoenas against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
Pirro’s ability to operate with more autonomy than other US attorneys — at times having surprised the White House with her work — has raised questions about whether she’s auditioning for the attorney general job.
In response to suggestions that she may want to step into the role, Pirro issued a statement to CNN saying: “As United States Attorney for D.C., I have seen firsthand the competence, experience, and leadership ability of Todd Blanche. With over 15 years in the Department of Justice and a unique relationship with the president, he is the best person to run the Department of Justice.”
Dhillon, the hard-charging civil-rights chief, has also been floated as a possible pick for the job. She has worked to reshape the division to focus on reversing DEI initiatives and targeting antisemitism.
She told CNN, “Todd is the President’s choice and I fully support it. I have a great working relationship with him. He is very supportive of rank and file and career lawyers in the building at main justice.”
According to the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, Blanche can serve in the role of acting attorney general for up to 210 days, so the position does not need to be permanently filled until November.
Even if Blanche gets the job, Trump’s past attorneys general have all, eventually, been fired, replaced, or resigned.
If he doesn’t get the job, though, Blanche recently told reporters he won’t hold it against the president.
“If he chooses to nominate somebody else and asks me to go do something else, I will say: ‘Thank you very much, I love you, sir.’”
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