Todd Blanche appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee today in an attempt to argue that he could serve as an independent Attorney General.
Instead, he reminded the country exactly who he works for.
When a Republican senator asked Blanche about his relationship with Donald Trump, Blanche answered, “I'm his lawyer.”
He quickly corrected himself and said “was”, but that correction only underscored the truth.
That was not just an awkward slip. It captured the central danger of this nomination: Trump is trying to put his former personal criminal defense attorney permanently in charge of the Department of Justice because he will do Trump’s bidding. We can’t let him succeed.
Blanche walked into today’s hearing needing to prove that he would run the Justice Department for the people, not for Donald Trump.
He failed.
Pressed on the $1.8 billion slush fund, Blanche would not say it was dead for good. He admitted the agreement remains enforceable. Trump has never agreed in writing to terminate it. And even Republican Senator John Cornyn left the hearing saying the fund “is not dead” and could still be revived.
That is the deal Blanche helped create: a potential $1.8 billion payout scheme for Trump allies, paired with sweeping protection for Trump, his businesses, and his family from IRS investigations.
And Blanche’s handling of the Epstein files was just as damning.
He refused today to commit to meeting with Epstein survivors who were present at the hearings, but he previously spent two days meeting with and interviewing Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker and Epstein associate.
Blanche found a way to make time for Maxwell. He found an excuse not to make time for the survivors.
That contrast says everything about the kind of Attorney General Todd Blanche would be: one who bends the power of the Justice Department toward Trump’s interests while those demanding accountability are pushed aside.
And right now, Blanche’s nomination is vulnerable.
Senator Cornyn remains undecided. Just one Republican vote against Blanche in the Judiciary Committee could prevent his nomination from advancing to the full Senate.
This is the moment to turn up the pressure.
People For is one of the leading organizations driving opposition to Blanche, mobilizing our supporters and helping lead coalition efforts to stop his confirmation. With his nomination potentially hanging by a single vote, we need the resources to keep that pressure building.
The Attorney General is supposed to defend the Constitution, enforce the law fairly, and serve the people of the United States.
Todd Blanche has shown that his loyalty lies somewhere else.
Please make a donation today and help us fight to defeat his confirmation.
