Todd Blanche Faces Senate Grilling at Attorney General Hearing

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday seeking confirmation to the top law enforcement post on a permanent basis — but his path is complicated by Republican skepticism, a damaging federal court ruling, and a cascade of controversies from his time leading the Justice Department.

From Trump’s Defense Lawyer to Acting AG

Blanche was formerly President Donald Trump’s personal criminal defense attorney before being confirmed as the Department of Justice’s number two official last year. He has served as acting attorney general since Trump ousted Pam Bondi in April, and Trump formally nominated him to the permanent role in June.

Unlike his earlier confirmation, Blanche’s current path is far from smooth. All Democrats on the committee are expected to oppose him, meaning he likely needs every Republican on the panel to advance his nomination to the Senate floor. That margin is razor thin — and at least two Republicans have signaled serious reservations.

Anti-Weaponization Fund Draws Bipartisan Fire

The Todd Blanche attorney general confirmation hearing DOJ scrutiny centers most prominently on the now-defunct “Anti-Weaponization Fund” — a settlement arrangement engineered after Trump’s personal attorneys sued the IRS for $10 billion over the leak of his tax returns. The day after that settlement was announced, Blanche signed an additional document purporting to grant Trump and his family immunity from IRS investigations of all of their past tax returns.

The fund drew bipartisan condemnation and led to a closed-door standoff between Blanche and Senate Republicans who demanded it be dropped. While Blanche said the administration was abandoning the fund, the DOJ has not committed to that in writing, and the immunity order has not been rescinded.

On Monday, a federal judge in Florida delivered a further blow, issuing an extraordinary ruling lambasting Trump and the Justice Department for misusing her court to legitimize a settlement she said would never have survived judicial review. Judge Kathleen Williams referred Trump’s attorneys for potential sanctions and separately sent her ruling to the New York State Bar for potential disciplinary proceedings against Blanche himself, saying he may have given “misleading” testimony to Congress about how the settlement was executed. The DOJ has not responded publicly.

Republican Votes Uncertain

Senator John Cornyn, a key Republican on the Judiciary Committee who has said he remains undecided on the nomination, told reporters Monday that Williams’ ruling raised additional questions Blanche will need to answer Wednesday. Senator Thom Tillis said the fund must be “certainly and completely ended” before he can vote to confirm Blanche. Both senators are serving out the end of their terms without plans to return.

Blanche’s confirmation prospects are also complicated by the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, a veteran Judiciary Committee member and Trump ally who had been expected to advocate strongly for Blanche among Republican colleagues.

Democrats Ready a Long List of Objections

Senate Judiciary Democrats are expected to use the hearing to cast Blanche as a tool of Trump’s political vendettas. “While deploying the Justice Department as a shield for the President and his cronies, Blanche has also used our top law enforcement agency as a sword against Trump’s political opponents,” said ranking Democrat Dick Durbin of Illinois in a statement following the nomination.

Democrats are expected to highlight the DOJ’s now-dismissed targeting of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, as well as a new indictment against Comey in North Carolina over a social media image of seashells prosecutors say constituted a death threat against Trump. Comey has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers are seeking dismissal on grounds of vindictive prosecution. Democrats will also likely raise cases where federal judges dismissed DOJ subpoenas targeting Fulton County election workers, Minnesota state officials, and a criminal probe of former Fed Chair Jerome Powell that one judge said was based on zero evidence.

ICE Shootings, Press Subpoenas, and Epstein Files Also on the Table

The hearing is expected to address two fatal shootings by ICE agents in the past week — in Maine and Houston — as well as the administration’s ongoing investigations into the earlier killings of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti during an immigration sweep in Minneapolis.

Blanche will also likely face questions about the Justice Department’s escalating push to subpoena journalists to identify sources, including last week’s subpoenas to five New York Times reporters over Air Force One security reporting.

Democrats also plan to press Blanche on the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation files, including his personal role in sitting for a two-day interview with Epstein’s convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell in federal prison while serving as assistant attorney general, and allegations — which he denies — that he later arranged Maxwell’s transfer to a less restrictive facility.

The administration has said it hopes to secure Blanche’s confirmation before Congress breaks for the August recess, though the timeline for a full Senate vote if the nomination clears committee remains unclear.