Trump taps Todd Blanche as Acting Attorney General; official disbands DOJ crypto enforcement unit

Huo Xing Finance reported, citing CoinDesk, that U.S. President Donald Trump has removed Attorney General Pam Bondi and named Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche—his former personal lawyer—as Acting Attorney General. Blanche previously represented Trump in a New York criminal case. After taking office as Deputy Attorney General, Blanche ordered the Department of Justice to shut down its National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team and signed a memo instructing prosecutors to stop pursuing cryptocurrency cases focused on regulatory violations. Newly disclosed documents show Blanche still held a basket of crypto assets—Bitcoin, Solana, Cardano, Ethereum, Polygon, Polkadot and Quant—along with Coinbase stock, valued at roughly $159,000 to $485,000 when he signed the memo. The holdings ran counter to ethics rules and to his earlier pledge to divest before working on crypto-related matters.