'Who's holding it up on our side?' MAGA turning on Trump's most 'loyal foot soldier'

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump wears a 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA) hat as he attends the commencement ceremony at West Point Military Academy in West Point, New York, U.S., May 24, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo

Prominent figures in the MAGA movement have turned against Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, a top official in President Donald Trump’s Justice Department (and former Trump defense lawyer), accusing him of blocking efforts to assist a conspiracy theorist currently serving a prison sentence.

An article published in The Bulwark Monday noted that Blanche, who previously attracted attention for conducting a sympathetic interview with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell before her transfer to a lower-security facility, is now the target of right-wing media outrage for refusing to help former Colorado Republican election official Tina Peters.

“Blanche has recently been blamed for a host of misdeeds, including holding up ‘reparations’ for January 6th defendants. But the most significant allegation against him comes from Peter Ticktin, a former Trump military-academy chum turned MAGA lawyer who’s now at the center of the get-Blanche campaign,” the piece said.

Critics in the MAGA movement claim Blanche is obstructing what they describe as a plan to transfer Peters from Colorado state prison to a federal facility — something they suggest would have offered her more favorable conditions.

Peters, a former county clerk, was sentenced in 2023 to nine years in state prison for allowing an unauthorized individual to copy election system data, which later appeared online.

Trump has repeatedly called for her release, but because Peters was convicted on state charges, he cannot issue a federal pardon.

The piece further highlighted that attorney Peter Ticktin, a longtime Trump associate, has taken a lead role in blaming Blanche for Peters’ continued incarceration.

"It’s hard to imagine a more loyal Trump foot soldier than Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. A former defense attorney for Trump, Blanche has played a role in administration controversies big and small. At one point, Trump even appointed him to run the Library of Congress. (It’s still not totally clear who is running it right now.)" the piece noted.

It added: "Most infamously, Blanche conducted a friendly interview with imprisoned sex trafficker, sex abuser, and Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell just before she was suspiciously transferred to a lower-security prison.

And yet, as is often the case in MAGA land, it’s never enough."

The article noted that in a recent appearance on Steve Bannon’s show, Ticktin claimed that a Justice Department arrangement to move Peters to a federal facility was scuttled by Blanche himself.

“Who’s holding it up on our side?” Bannon asked. “Todd Blanche!” Ticktin replied.

Emerald Robinson, a host on LindellTV, run by Trump ally Mike Lindell, echoed the criticism, declaring on InfoWars last week: “We now can definitely identify Todd Blanche as the problem.”

Meanwhile, Peters has joined the chorus, issuing fiery posts on the social platform X demanding action from the DOJ. “Why is the DOJ defying Trump’s demands?” she wrote. “Get off your a—— and get me out!”

The dispute underscores the instability within MAGA ranks, where even loyalists like Blanche can quickly become targets if perceived to be insufficiently aggressive in pursuing the movement’s priorities.

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