Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee have voted to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general, moving Donald Trump’s former personal defense lawyer one step closer to Senate confirmation.
This is a setback, but Blanche has not been confirmed, and the fight to stop him is far from over.
Just days ago, Blanche’s nomination was so vulnerable that Republicans were forced to postpone the committee vote because they did not have the support to advance him. The White House scrambled to pressure Senate Republicans, while Trump threatened to keep Blanche installed as acting attorney general and wait out the senators standing in his way.
Today’s vote does not erase what that delay proved: sustained pressure can shake Republican support for this deeply compromised nominee. Now we must bring that pressure to the full Senate.
Blanche cannot be trusted to lead the Department of Justice. He has defended his record overseeing a department bent to serve the president, refused to take concrete steps to end the $1.8 billion slush fund that would benefit Trump and his allies, and continues to stand behind the extraordinary IRS agreement protecting Trump, his family, and his companies from audits and investigations. He also played a central role in the department’s botched handling of the Epstein files, personally interviewing convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell shortly before she was transferred to a minimum-security prison camp.
At one point, Blanche even told senators, “I’m [Trump’s] lawyer,” before hastily correcting himself.
That slip captured the fundamental danger of his nomination. The attorney general is supposed to enforce the law on behalf of the American people, not protect the president who appointed him.
People For has helped lead the campaign to stop Blanche by mobilizing thousands of supporters, working with coalition partners, and pressing senators to confront his deeply compromised record. That work helped expose the weakness of his nomination and delay his committee vote. Now we need to make sure every senator hears the same message before the final vote.
Tell the Senate: reject Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general.
Committee approval does not entitle Blanche to confirmation. Every senator must now answer for whether they believe Trump’s former personal lawyer should be entrusted with leading the Department of Justice.
