A U.S. Senate committee has begun pursuing Interim Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is seeking confirmation to lead the Justice Department, the country’s main federal law enforcement agency.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to question Blanche on Wednesday and Thursday.
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The hearing will examine Blanche’s loyalty to President Donald Trump and whether she will protect the independence of the Justice Department.
But Blanche sought to dispel those concerns in his opening statement Wednesday, arguing instead that he was fixing the department’s previous problems.
“We are restoring America’s credibility,” Blanche said.
Before joining Trump’s second administration, Branch served as a personal attorney for Republican leaders. Blanche represented Trump in the New York state trial that convicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
He was confirmed as Deputy Attorney General in March 2025 and appointed Acting Attorney General following the resignation of Pam Bondi in April.
But while Blanche has faced intense scrutiny in the Senate in the past, this question will be tougher than the one he faced last year.
Mr. Blanche is likely to face questions about his efforts to prosecute several of Mr. Trump’s political opponents and critics, including former FBI Director James Comey.
Blanche also oversaw a controversial civil settlement in May of the president’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to protect Trump and his family from future tax audits.
Mr. Blanche also played a central role in the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which documented the federal investigation into the convicted sex offender.
Critics have questioned whether members of the Trump administration sought to protect powerful figures through excessive or inconsistent editing of released files. Trump himself had a past relationship with Epstein.
Despite this, Blanche made little mention of her relationship with Trump in her opening statement, saying only that she was “extremely grateful” for his support.
Instead, he pointed to FBI data that shows violent crime will decline in the United States in 2025, continuing a downward trend since the coronavirus pandemic, 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 roads and a fairer view of the lives they’re trying to build,” Blanche said. “None of this is a Republican or Democratic issue.”
But Blanche echoed Trump’s assertion that the Justice Department was “armed” against Trump and his allies before the Republican leader’s second term.
“In recent years, we have seen the Justice Department turn against many of you and our former president, and undermine public confidence in justice,” Blanche said. “We’re fixing it.”
Trump faces four criminal charges, including two at the federal level, one for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 election and one for withholding classified documents. Both federal charges were dropped upon President Trump’s return.
In many ways, Wednesday’s proceedings were a symbolic referendum on the Justice Department under the Trump administration. Despite longstanding norms of prosecutorial independence, there are concerns that President Trump is using the department for political purposes.
Legal scholars also argue that even without confirmation, President Trump could keep Branch in his acting capacity for months to come.
Republicans are paying attention
Blanche’s confirmation is still on a knife’s edge. It is unclear whether he will advance to full Senate confirmation.
Following the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, only one Republican on the committee would need to step out of line to halt the process.
Sen. Thom Tillis, who is retiring at the end of his term, and Sen. John Cornyn, who lost the primary to a pro-Trump challenger, are seen as the most likely candidates to oppose Mr. Branch.
During Tuesday’s questioning, Cornyn took particular issue with a civil settlement reached between Trump and the Internal Revenue Service. The settlement protects Mr. Trump and his family from tax audits while creating a roughly $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund for alleged victims of political prosecutions.
Blanche said the fund had been abandoned, a claim he repeated Wednesday.
“I’m taking the oath today, but I’ve said over and over again that I’m dead,” Blanche said during the hearing. “I said that on the House Oversight Committee, and I’m happy to say it as many times as necessary.”
A federal judge also invalidated the settlement Tuesday, saying Blanche and other participants had bent the court’s rules and norms to benefit the president.
“There was never any question as to who would win,” the judge wrote, suggesting Blanche and others were acting on Trump’s behalf.
Cornyn was among those who noted Wednesday that Trump officials had not indicated in writing that they would abandon the settlement.
“As a reminder, the plaintiff in this case, the President of the United States, has not agreed in writing to the removal of the Anti-Weaponization Fund, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will not be increased in the future,” Cornyn asked.
But Blanche argued that the written declaration was immaterial to the issue and that Trump had no authority over the fund.
Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin accused Branch of putting loyalty to Trump above all else. He noted that Branch expressed her love for Trump in April, saying she would “love” the president regardless of personnel decisions.
“After less than 18 months at the Justice Department, you have proven that you are still President Trump’s personal lawyer,” Durbin said.
He added: “Your tenure in office can be summed up in the four words you said to President Trump: ‘I love you.’
Meanwhile, Republican Sen. John Kennedy asked if Blanche considered Trump a “friend.”
“I’m his lawyer,” Blanche replied, correcting herself. “It was his lawyer.”
