Todd Blanche faced tough questions Wednesday at the start of his attorney general confirmation hearing over his role in creating a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and a related tax immunity deal for President Donald Trump and his family.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, one of a few Republicans who have not committed to voting for Blanche, appeared dissatisfied with Blanche’s repeated promises that the administration is not moving forward with the fund.
The fund was designed to compensate people who claimed to have been unfairly targeted by federal authorities. Blanche, currently the acting attorney general, has sought for weeks to quell outcry from lawmakers who worried the money could be used to pay rioters who took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Blanche reiterated assurances Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the fund was “moot.” But Cornyn questioned whether the fund, which has been indefinitely blocked by a federal judge, could be revived through a lawsuit or in some other way, noting that the administration had refused to say in writing that it had been abandoned.
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“There is no fund, it’s dead,” Blanche responded.
Cornyn also zeroed in on the related immunity agreement that Blanche signed as part of the deal, which sought to resolve a lawsuit Trump brought against the IRS after becoming president over the leak of his tax returns years earlier.
He pointed out that Trump had filed the suit after the two-year statute of limitations had expired, saying, “That struck me as unusual.” He pressed Blanche to explain the terms of the settlement, which purported to permanently release Trump, his sons, the family business and unnamed associates from past tax liabilities.
Cornyn’s skepticism doesn’t bode well for Blanche, who can only afford to lose a few Republican votes.
Ranking member Dick Durbin of Illinois tore into Blanche, saying he had “treated DOJ like President Trump’s personal law firm,” and criticized him for signing off on the settlement with Trump and the IRS.
He and other Democrats cited a scathing order this week by a federal judge in Florida that voided the deal and accused Blanche, Trump and the president’s lawyers of colluding to manipulate the justice system for Trump’s benefit.
Durbin recounted that Blanche had told him during a “respectful exchange” at his office Tuesday that the judge’s opinion was “a hit piece” on him — a characterization Durbin called “another troubling attack on a judge for doing her job.”
During questions from Durbin and Republican committee Chair Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Blanche defended his handling of the release of files from the Jeffrey Epstein case. The Justice Department faced intense criticism over the past year for failing to redact the names and identifying information of victims of the dead sex offender’s abuse.
Blanche said there were “mistakes that were made” and that the department had tried “to do the right thing.” The Justice Department had dozens of lawyers on call during the release of the files who could spring into action if a victim demanded a redaction, he said.
He also pledged to pursue prosecutions against people associated with Epstein’s crimes.
Durbin said 10 victims of Epstein’s abuse were at the hearing and demanded to know whether Blanche would meet with them in person. Blanche declined to commit to such meetings, saying a female staffer with experience in prosecuting sex crimes was ready to sit down with any victims who came forward.
“She can sit right next to you,” Durbin said, his voice rising.
“We remain available to meet with any victim at any time,” Blanche responded. “I’d love to prosecute anybody who did any harm to these victims.”
Other questions centered on Blanche’s independence from the White House, his close relationship with Trump and his role as Trump’s former defense lawyer.
Blanche appeared to fumble a softball question from Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana), who asked Blanche if he and Trump were friends.
“I’m his lawyer,” Blanche responded before correcting himself, saying he “was his lawyer, and now I’m the deputy attorney general.”
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware) asked Blanche if his Justice Department is independent of the White House. Blanche said the department operates with “integrity” while saying it is part of the executive branch and as such he serves at the pleasure of the president.
“President Trump trusts me to give him counsel,” he added. “Counsel does not mean I’m a yes man.”
In his opening statement, Blanche presented himself as a family man who had worked his way through law school pursuing what he called his “American dream” of serving the Justice Department. His young granddaughter was at the hearing, along with his other family members.
He appealed to lawmakers’ election-year concerns, saying he wants to expand law enforcement partnerships in states and localities that he said had reduced drugs, fraud and violent crime.
“Every senator here has constituents who just want to be safe,” he said.
He also leveled some criticism at his predecessors from previous administrations, suggesting that previous justice officials had politicized the department.
Grassley, a close ally of Trump, pointed to what he called a “record of success” at the Justice Department under Blanche that involved protecting missing and endangered children, seizing illegal drugs, curbing violent crime and combating fraud. He limited time for questions to just 10 minutes and used rules for an oversight hearing rather than a confirmation hearing.
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