Todd Blanche’s Prison-Placement Policy Raises Concerns Over Political Favoritism

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche faced a Senate confirmation hearing after the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) moved convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell to a minimum-security camp—an arrangement previously reserved for low-risk inmates. The transfer occurred a week after Blanche met with Maxwell to discuss her ties to Jeffrey Epstein. A BOP policy amendment issued on May 6 under Blanche’s supervision now allows the attorney general to designate an inmate’s placement, effectively shifting authority from the BOP’s long-standing classification system to the Justice Department’s chief.

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Historically, the BOP has managed prison placements using a 116-page manual that requires individuals convicted of sex crimes to be housed in at least low-security facilities. The manual was designed to mitigate community risk. The Trump administration previously issued an executive order directing the attorney general to move many of President Joe Biden’s commuted death-row prisoners to more restrictive prisons, a move cited by the BOP as a reason for “formally memorializing” the AG’s statutory authority.

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• More than 20,000 federal sex offenders are currently incarcerated; Maxwell is the only one approved for a minimum-security camp.

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• The BOP’s classification guidelines explicitly call for “low-security” placement for sex offenders.

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• The agency plans to close six lower-security prisons, raising concerns that fewer beds will force higher-security confinement for inmates such as former national-security adviser John Bolton.

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The agency’s spokesperson added that lower-security facilities experience fewer violent incidents, though no specific safety metrics were provided.

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Senator Cory Booker argued the transfer “seems clearly like a reward” for Maxwell’s distancing of former President Donald Trump from Epstein. Representative Deborah Ross noted that standard BOP practice would place a vulnerable inmate in protective custody, not a minimum-security camp. Rep. Raskin and Rep. Former Justice Department pardon attorney Liz Oyer described the amendment as giving the attorney general “complete discretion” to override the manual.

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• “They cannot explain how this improves the process other than to give the attorney general, and therefore the president, the power to favor their friends or harm their enemies,” — General. Rep. Raskin, of the attorney

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• “The moment that political favoritism governs the conditions of confinement, then everyone immediately tries to curry favor with the people in power,” — General. Rep. Raskin, of the attorney

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Rep. Ross indicated she will consider legislation to restore exclusive placement authority to the BOP. Congressional leaders have submitted written questions to Blanche, and the Justice Department has denied an expedited FOIA request for records on Maxwell’s transfer and the policy’s implementation. Lawmakers argue that without clear standards, the new authority could enable political favoritism in confinement decisions.

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