Todd Blanche Defends Independence From Trump in Contentious Attorney General Hearing
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told the Senate Judiciary Committee that his previous work as President Donald Trump’s personal defense lawyer would not prevent him from independently leading the Justice Department. Blanche emphasized his earlier career as a federal prosecutor and said advising a president does not require unquestioning loyalty. The five-hour hearing repeatedly returned to whether Blanche has sufficiently separated his current public duties from his former representation of Trump. Senators questioned him about a Justice Department settlement involving Trump’s tax-return lawsuit, an abandoned compensation fund for alleged victims of politicized prosecutions, investigations involving Trump’s adversaries, the release of Jeffrey Epstein records and pardons connected to the January 6 Capitol attack. Blanche accepted responsibility for mistakes in the Epstein-file release and said a proposed $1.8 billion compensation fund would not move forward. He nevertheless defended the tax settlement and the department’s recent priorities. Several Democrats remained firmly opposed, while at least one Republican whose vote may determine whether the nomination advances said he was still undecided after the hearing.