Holder blasts Blanche over planned GOP convention speech: ‘Disgraceful’

Former Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday slammed the sitting Department of Justice (DOJ) chief over his decision to address attendees at the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) first midterm convention in Dallas, which kicks off Wednesday .

Holder, who served in the Obama administration, called Attorney General Todd Blanche’s planned speech “unprecedented” and “disgraceful” in comments to The Hill’s broadcast partner, NewsNation.

“Attorneys general don’t talk about political things,” Holder told NewsNation’s Joe Khalil. “He shouldn’t be there.”

When reached for comment about Holder’s criticism, the DOJ directed The Hill to its Wednesday response to a complaint from Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee about the upcoming remarks.

“While Jack Smith may agree with you about violating federal law, the Hatch Act is available for everyone to read, and Todd Blanche’s appearance this evening in his personal capacity is legal (and has been approved by ethics),” the department’s official social platform X account posted Wednesday.

The Democrats on the House panel called Blanche’s planned speech at the RNC convention “dumbfounding and unprecedented” in their own post Tuesday.

“Amazing how far the DOJ has fallen. We’ll be watching,” the group wrote.

Blanche is scheduled to address the convention’s attendees Wednesday evening. Other speakers include Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Texas Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton (R) and several GOP members of Congress.

President Trump is also set to address attendees on both nights of the two-day event in the Lone Star State. Trump touted the convention as “the Greatest RALLY of them all” in a Truth Social post Friday.

“I’ll be speaking on night one, and hanging around for an earlier closing, and lots of music, on night two!!! See you in Dallas,” he wrote.

The president nominated Blanche , his former personal attorney, to oversee the DOJ after he fired former Attorney General Pam Bondi from the role in April. Blanche previously served as deputy attorney general and then as acting attorney general following Bondi’s departure.

Senate Democrats repeatedly grilled the attorney general over his personal relationship with the president and the “ anti-weaponization fund ” controversy during his confirmation process.

In an online statement following the Senate’s confirmation of Blanche last month, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the attorney general “has no intention of stopping Trump’s corruption.”

“He advanced his career enabling it,” Schumer continued. “Every senator who voted to confirm him has now branded themselves as an enabler, too.”