Overview
- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday as he seeks confirmation to become the permanent attorney general.
- A federal judge recently voided the settlement tied to a proposed $1.8 billion 'anti-weaponization' fund and ordered that the record be sent to state bar authorities to review lawyers' conduct, which critics say implicates Blanche.
- Blanche’s handling of the Justice Department’s phased release of Jeffrey Epstein files is under fire because redaction errors exposed victims’ personal information and survivors have publicly urged senators to block his confirmation.
- His tenure has included prosecutions of figures viewed as Trump opponents and a purge of career staff that prompted a letter from more than 1,200 former DOJ employees who say departures have weakened the department.
- Blanche’s path forward depends on near-unanimous Republican support on the Judiciary Committee, with key senators such as John Cornyn and Thom Tillis still undecided and raising questions about independence and the tax-audit immunity element of the settlement.