Kenneth Glad
The attorney general nominee’s previous work as Donald Trump’s personal lawyer became a central issue as senators considered his nomination to lead the Justice Department. The hearing also covered presidential clemency, a tax settlement involving Trump and the nominee’s response to Epstein survivors.
Todd Blanche corrected himself immediately after saying he was President Donald Trump’s lawyer during his Senate confirmation hearing.
Irish Star reported that Republican Senator John Kennedy asked Blanche whether he and Trump were friends. “I’m his lawyer,” Blanche answered, before quickly changing his response to “was his lawyer.”
Blanche represented Trump in three criminal cases brought in 2023 and 2024, according to his official Justice Department profile. He later served as deputy attorney general and is currently identified by the department as acting attorney general.
The White House submitted his nomination for attorney general to the Senate on June 8, 2026. His earlier work for Trump prompted questions about whether he could lead the department independently.
Blanche became acting attorney general after Trump dismissed Pam Bondi. Confirmation by the Senate would allow him to remain in the position on a permanent basis.
Questions about independence
The exchange over Blanche’s former legal role formed part of a broader examination of decisions made under his leadership.
According to Irish Star, senators raised investigations involving political opponents of the president, attempts to identify the sources of media leaks and the treatment of defendants prosecuted over the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Lawmakers then turned to Trump’s clemency measures. The president pardoned some January 6 defendants, commuted prison sentences and directed that unresolved cases be dismissed.
Blanche did not directly endorse those decisions. He instead noted that the Constitution gives presidents “the authority to pardon anybody for any federal crime.”
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin criticised the scale of the action. He argued that “someone should have grabbed him by the arm and said, ‘Stop, you can’t release all of those rioters.’”
Another exchange focused on the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service following the disclosure of his tax returns.
Irish Star writes that the agreement drew criticism over a provision affecting future tax audits. Blanche described such terms as “typical” in comparable settlements and rejected the suggestion that the arrangement placed Trump above the law.
“Nobody is above the law,” Blanche told Durbin. “And when we enter the settlements like that … It doesn’t make any of those individuals above the law.”
Epstein survivors attend hearing
The discussion later moved to people affected by Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse. Durbin said 10 survivors were present in the hearing room and asked whether Blanche would meet them.
“I appreciate them being here today,” Blanche said. “I have never said I wouldn’t meet with survivors.”
Durbin urged him to arrange a meeting promptly and said senators would hold him to that commitment.
Blanche expressed a willingness to prosecute “anyone who did any harm to any of these victims. My heart breaks for every survivor,” he added.
His remarks did not announce a new investigation or prosecution. They came as survivors continued to press federal authorities for accountability over crimes linked to Epstein and those who may have assisted him.
The hearing covered several disputes involving the Justice Department, but Blanche’s brief correction highlighted the issue running through much of the questioning: whether a former personal lawyer to the president could lead federal law enforcement independently.
Sources: Irish Star
