President Donald Trump’s nominee to permanently lead the Justice Department begins a two-day confirmation hearing Wednesday with key Republican votes still unsettled. It has forced the president into a public push for support less than 24 hours before Todd Blanche appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Blanche has served as acting attorney general since Trump fired Pam Bondi in April after previously serving as deputy attorney general. Wednesday’s hearing will determine whether he advances toward a full Senate confirmation vote.
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Trump made a direct appeal to Republicans on Tuesday, praising Blanche’s performance and reminding senators that he defended him through multiple criminal cases.
“When the Corrupt Biden ‘Injustice’ Department and Radical Left Prosecutors tried to throw me in jail… Todd stood by my side and fought off the Lawfare,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Every Republican Senator should vote to CONFIRM Todd Blanche, ASAP!”
GOP votes remain unsettled
The confirmation fight comes down to Republicans.
Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have both declined to commit their support after pressing Blanche over a now-abandoned proposal to create a nearly $1.8 billion taxpayer-funded “anti-weaponization” compensation fund.
Critics argued the proposal could have opened the door to payments for people convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Blanche later told lawmakers the department would not move forward with the fund.
The issue returned this week after a federal judge sharply criticized a settlement related to the proposal, accusing Justice Department attorneys, including Blanche, of manipulating the judicial process.
The committee math also changed following the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Blanche’s strongest supporters. Assuming Democrats oppose the nomination, Republicans can afford to lose only one vote in committee if they want to advance Blanche.
The margin stays narrow in the full Senate. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, meaning Blanche can lose no more than three Republican votes if Vice President JD Vance is available to break a tie.
Democrats question Blanche’s independence
Democrats plan to focus on whether Blanche can separate his role as attorney general from his years representing Trump.
Before joining the administration, Blanche defended Trump in his New York hush-money trial and later led his legal team in the federal classified documents and election interference cases.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., has called Blanche “a walking disgrace,” accusing him of serving Trump rather than the American people.
“Trump intends to damage the rule of law, to protect his massive corruption, and Blanche is his hatchet man,” Whitehouse, a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, said.
Lawmakers are also expected to question Blanche about the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and the abandoned compensation fund. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin has called former Justice Department pardon attorney Liz Oyer and Epstein survivor Dani Bensky to testify against the nomination during Thursday’s witness hearing.
Blanche defends his record
Blanche has rejected claims that his previous work as Trump’s personal attorney would prevent him from serving independently as attorney general.
Since taking over the department, he has pointed to prosecutions involving violent crime, drug trafficking and fraud while defending the administration’s immigration agenda.
If Blanche advances out of committee, Republican leaders want a final confirmation vote before the Senate leaves Washington for its August recess.
Round out your reading
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