Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche made it through his Senate confirmation hearing by dodging every question about what he’d actually do with the Comstock Act. But behind closed doors with anti-abortion activists, Blanche sang a different tune entirely. According to new reporting from Politico, he pledged to make sure that Dobbs becomes “permanent in every single state,” a threat that goes far beyond what he said while under oath.
From Politico:
- Blanche privately assured anti-abortion supporters on a call that Dobbs-era restrictions will become permanent nationwide, going well beyond anything he said publicly during his confirmation hearing.
- The FDA is weighing new restrictions on mifepristone, specifically, invoking the Comstock Act, which could cut off mail delivery of abortion pills nationwide, since the 1873 law covers mailing “obscene” materials broadly.
- Trump’s DOJ is now reviewing the Biden-era legal opinion that shielded doctors from prosecution for mailing the pills, on the grounds that both drugs have legitimate non-abortion medical uses.
- Trump promised in 2024 that he wouldn’t enforce Comstock against abortion pills, insisting the federal government “should have nothing to do with this issue.” Blanche’s private assurances suggest that promise is already being abandoned.
- Under direct questioning from Sen. Ted Cruz during his July hearing, Blanche offered only a vague pledge to carefully evaluate every lawful action available under Comstock, stopping well short of promising enforcement.
Read the entire piece on Politico.
Published: Aug 4, 2026