The United States Senate Judiciary Committee has begun questioning acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as he seeks confirmation to lead the Department of Justice. The hearings are scheduled to span two days, Wednesday and Thursday.
A central focus of the hearings is scrutiny over Blanche's loyalty to President Donald Trump and whether he will protect the independence of the Justice Department. In his opening statement, Blanche attempted to address these concerns, claiming he is fixing what was previously wrong with the department.
“We are restoring American trust,” Blanche said. Prior to joining Trump's second administration, Blanche served as the Republican leader's personal lawyer. He represented Trump in cases including a New York state trial that resulted in Trump's conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
In March 2025, Blanche was confirmed as deputy attorney general, before the April resignation of Pam Bondi resulted in his appointment as acting attorney general. Although Blanche has faced Senate scrutiny before, this round of questions is expected to be more intense.
Blanche is likely to face questions about his efforts to prosecute several of Trump's political rivals and critics, including former FBI Director James Comey. In May, he also oversaw a controversial civil settlement in a lawsuit lodged by Trump against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that shielded Trump and his family from future tax investigations.
Blanche has also taken a central role in the Justice Department's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Critics have questioned whether members of the Trump administration have attempted to shield powerful figures through excessive or inconsistent redactions in the published files.
Blanche made little mention of his relationship to Trump during his opening statement, saying only he was “exceedingly grateful” for his support. He instead pointed to FBI data showing violent crime dropping in the US in 2025 and highlighted the Justice Department's efforts to combat cartels and drug trafficking.
“I'm proud of what we've done to help American families see safer streets and to have a fair shot at the life they're working to build,” Blanche said. “None of this is a Republican or Democrat issue.”
However, Blanche echoed Trump's assertions that the Justice Department was “weaponised” against Trump and his allies prior to the Republican leader's second term. “In recent years, we watched the Justice Department turned against many of you and a former president, and it damaged the public's faith in justice,” Blanche said.
Blanche's confirmation remains uncertain; it is unclear whether he will proceed to a full Senate vote. Following the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, only one Republican on the committee would need to break ranks to scuttle the process. Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn are seen as the most likely to oppose Blanche.
Cornyn took particular issue with the civil settlement reached between Trump and the IRS. The settlement granted Trump and his family protection from tax investigations while creating a nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponisation fund” for alleged victims of political prosecutions. Blanche has said the fund has been abandoned, a claim he repeated on Wednesday.
A federal judge on Tuesday voided the settlement, accusing participants like Blanche of bending court rules and norms to serve the president's interests. “There was never a question as to who would prevail,” the judge wrote.
Senator Richard Durbin, a Democrat, accused Blanche of valuing his loyalty to Trump over all else. He referenced Blanche's statement of affection for Trump in April, when Blanche said he would “love” the president no matter his personnel decisions. “In less than 18 months at the Department of Justice, you've shown you're still President Trump's personal attorney,” Durbin said.
Legal scholars have also argued that, even without confirmation, Trump could keep Blanche in an acting capacity for months to come, raising serious questions about the independence of the US justice system.
Source: www.aljazeera.com