Todd Blanche faces Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for attorney general nomination

Todd Blanche, the former personal lawyer to President Trump and the administration’s pick for attorney general, is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. The hearing comes after he was confirmed earlier in the term as the department’s deputy attorney general and has since served as acting attorney general.

Democrats on the committee are united in opposition, leaving Blanche’s confirmation dependent on a small number of Republican senators. Some Republicans, including Sens. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn, have expressed reservations about Blanche’s role in a $1.8 billion settlement that created an anti-weaponization fund and shielded Trump and his businesses from IRS audits. A federal judge recently criticized the settlement as an improper use of taxpayer money.

During his tenure as acting attorney general, Blanche oversaw several high-profile investigations, including indictments of former FBI Director James Comey and the Southern Poverty Law Center, as well as a probe related to the E. Jean Carroll lawsuit against Trump. The White House has praised his performance, and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley described him as “well qualified.”

Critics, led by Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dick Durbin, argue that Blanche has compromised the Justice Department’s independence by prioritizing loyalty to the president. A letter signed by roughly 1,200 former Justice Department employees urged the Senate to reject his nomination, citing concerns over the dismissal of career staff for alleged improper reasons. Blanche responded that the number of former employees who signed the letter represents a small fraction of the department’s workforce and said he remains willing to answer any questions from both parties.