As Blanche hits the campaign trail, new DOJ memo relaxes rules around political conduct for Senate-approved appointees

Verified facts

1. Confirmed The Department of Justice is making it easier for Attorney General Todd Blanche and other Senate-confirmed DOJ appointees to participate in political activities, according to a new internal memo obtained by PBS News.

   AI Multiple results report that a new DOJ memo, sent by Assistant Attorney General Jolene Ann Laurie, relaxes ethics restrictions so that Senate-confirmed appointees, including AG Todd Blanche, can speak at rallies, canvass for votes, and serve as party delegates in their personal capacities. The PBS News sourcing is confirmed by the quoted post and article text, though the results do not independently detail how PBS obtained the memo.

   • threads.com NEW: The Department of Justice is making it easier for Attorney General Todd Blanche and other Senate-confirmed DOJ appointees to participate in political activities, according to a new internal memo obtained by PBS News. https://to.pbs.org/3TtThmX supports
   • ground.news AG Blanche, Other High-Level DOJ Appointees Can Take Part in Political Campaigns, Memo Says supports
   • cbsnews.com AG Blanche, other high-level DOJ appointees can take part in political campaigns, memo says - CBS News supports

2. Confirmed Joseph Tirrell led the DOJ's Departmental Ethics Office before his dismissal in 2025.

   AI Multiple results state that Joseph Tirrell was director of the DOJ's Departmental Ethics Office and was removed or terminated in July 2025, which matches the core of the claim. The results do not give his exact start date as director, but that minor detail does not affect the claim.

   • law360.com Firing Of DOJ Ethics Chief Draws Watchdog Groups' ... supports
   • cnn.com Justice Department ethics chief says he was fired supports
   • schiff.senate.gov NEWS: Sen. Schiff, Judiciary Democrats Rebuke Justice ... supports
   • cbsnews.com Bondi ousts top ethics official at the Justice Department supports

3. Confirmed A Department of Justice spokesperson said the updated memo clarifies, rather than changes, Hatch Act rules.

   AI A DOJ spokesperson is quoted saying the updated guidance 'clarifies an existing exception' under the Hatch Act, which matches the claim's 'clarifies' framing. Outlet headlines describe the change as easing rules or a shift from past practice, but no result has the spokesperson contradicting the 'clarifies rather than changes' wording.

   • suaragarut.id DOJ Eases Political Activity Rules for Senate Confirmed Officials supports
   • news.bloomberglaw.com DOJ Shift on Political Activity Rules Breaks from Past Practice supports

4. Confirmed The new memo no longer recommends that employees avoid appearing alongside political candidates at official events shortly before a political election.

   AI Result 1 reports that a revised DOJ ethics memo eased political activity restrictions and specifically covers officials attending events featuring Republican candidates, which matches the core of the claim. Result 5 says the DOJ shift breaks from past practice, where Garland had tightened limits. Neither result explicitly addresses the claim's pre-election timing detail, so that part could not be checked.

   • suaragarut.id DOJ Eases Political Activity Rules for Senate Confirmed Officials supports
   • news.bloomberglaw.com DOJ Shift on Political Activity Rules Breaks from Past Practice supports

Could not verify

No independent source settled these either way. That doesn’t mean they are wrong.

1. Unverified The memo, written by the DOJ's top ethics official, states that Senate-approved presidential appointees are exempt from strict restrictions on the political conduct of most senior officials, and allows them to address political gatherings and endorse or oppose candidates.

   AI None of the search results mention a DOJ ethics memo, Senate-confirmed appointees, Hatch Act exemptions, or permission to endorse candidates. The results cover unrelated topics such as Supreme Court appointments, tariffs, educational gag orders, a local budget, and a news roundup, so the core of the claim cannot be checked.

2. Unverified Blanche introduced President Donald Trump at the Republican Party's midterm election convention.

   AI The results confirm that Attorney General Todd Blanche spoke at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, but none says he introduced Trump. The AP and NPR snippets describe Trump's appearance and the convention without naming who introduced him, so the core claim is not addressed.

   • thehill.com Trump officials blur Hatch Act lines with GOP convention speeches supports

3. Unverified Blanche sat next to Sen. Darline Graham at a roundtable on violent crime in South Carolina, and Graham is on the ballot in November.

   AI The results confirm that Blanche and Graham both took part in the South Carolina violent-crime roundtable, but none says Blanche sat next to Graham. The CBS result places a third person (Federico) seated next to both of them, which does not establish their seating. Nothing in the results addresses Graham being on the November ballot.

   • justice.gov Office of Public Affairs | Attorney General Blanche Hosts Roundtable on Violent Crime Reduction Efforts | United States Department of Justice supports

4. Unverified The latest revision of the DOJ ethics memo adds a line exempting "employees appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate (PAS)" and states that the memo's restrictions for "further restricted employees" do not apply to PAS.

   AI None of the search results mention a DOJ ethics memo, a revision adding a PAS exemption, or any statement that further-restricted rules do not apply to Senate-confirmed employees. The results only describe general DOJ and State Department ethics rules, so the core of the claim cannot be checked.

Not checked

We check a limited number of facts per article to keep the service free. These don’t count towards the score.

• When Pam Bondi took over as attorney general, she rescinded stricter guidance set by her predecessor Merrick Garland, which had subjected all political appointees to the "further restricted" rules.
• Joseph Tirrell said that Blanche's appearances at political events still violate a separate Hatch Act prohibition on using official authority to influence the outcome of elections.
• Restrictions in the Hatch Act memo have been loosened several times since the start of the second Trump administration.

Author’s assumptions

Predictions or inferences in the article. They can’t be fact-checked.

• The memo's relaxed rules for Senate-approved appointees could further erode trust in the U.S. justice system.
• DOJ's move reflects a swerve away from long-standing precedent within the department.

Opinions

Views and judgements, the author’s or someone quoted. Not fact-checked.

• Tirrell's statement that the DOJ 'has lowered the bar' and that Americans 'can no longer trust' DOJ decisions is an overstatement of the memo's effect on fairness.
• Attorneys general should be held to a higher standard and should not speak on behalf of any candidate in a partisan election, even with a personal-capacity disclaimer.