Todd Blanche Faces Senate Questioning at Attorney General Confirmation Hearing

On July 15, 2026, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee at his confirmation hearing to become the permanent attorney general. Blanche, who had served as President Trump's personal defense lawyer before becoming deputy attorney general, faced questioning from Democrats and some Republicans over the Justice Department's handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, a roughly $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization" fund tied to a settlement of Trump's lawsuit against the IRS, and his own potential conflicts of interest. Asked whether he and Trump were friends, Blanche answered, "I'm his lawyer — was his lawyer," before correcting himself.

The hearing crystallized long-running concerns about the independence of a Justice Department led by an attorney general who had represented the president in criminal cases. Blanche acknowledged "mistakes that were made" in failing to redact some Epstein victims' personal information and said the anti-weaponization fund was effectively dead, though senators noted that a related provision shielding Trump from certain IRS audits remained in place. His confirmation is not assured, as it requires the support of every Republican on the committee.

The committee had not voted on the nomination as of the hearing. Two days earlier, a federal judge had sharply criticized the IRS settlement central to the fund.