WASHINGTON – Appearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies yesterday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche dodged pointed questions about the Justice Department’s independence, its defiance of congressional mandates, and his glaring conflicts of interest.
Blanche’s testimony painted a stark picture: a man who spent years as Donald Trump’s personal criminal defense attorney is now weaponizing the nation’s top law enforcement office to serve his client’s interests.The American people deserve a lawyer working on their behalf, not one claiming to serve justice while operating at the beck and call of President Trump.
Here are key lowlights from Blanche’s hearing before the Subcommittee:
BLANCHE DEFENDED $1.8 BILLION TAXPAYER SLUSH FUND
Before his testimony, DOJ announced a nearly $1.8 billion taxpayer-dollar fund to compensate Trump allies, created without congressional approval, from the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against his own IRS. Sen. Van Hollen called it “pure theft of public funds.”
When pressed on whether those who attacked police at the Capitol on January 6 could collect taxpayer dollars, Blanche didn’t hesitate: “Anybody in this country is eligible to apply if they believe they were a victim of [DOJ] weaponization.”
The fund has no judicial oversight. Members of the administering commission can be fired by the president at any time. Even Senate Majority Leader Thune said he was “not a big fan” and saw “no purpose for it.”
BLANCHE STONEWALLED ON EPSTEIN
When pressed on whether the DOJ had open investigations related to Jeffrey Epstein, Blanche responded: “He’s dead.” He offered no explanation for the DOJ’s continued defiance of a bipartisan congressional mandate to release Epstein documents, the withholding of over two million files, or the removal of 47,000 previously published documents.
Blanche personally interviewed convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell under limited immunity last year, raising concerns that the administration might offer her clemency. When asked about a potential DOJ recommendation of a pardon, Blanche refused to rule it out until pressed directly by Sen. Van Hollen. Yet he showed up to today’s hearing with no answers for Epstein survivors or the public.
BLANCHE REFUSED TO ADDRESS BLATANT CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
When Sen. Van Hollen directly confronted Blanche about acting as the president’s personal lawyer rather than attorney general, Blanche erupted and was visibly defensive, insisting his prior role was irrelevant.
DOJ ethics officials formally advised Blanche to recuse himself from Trump-related matters within weeks of joining the department. Blanche ignored their guidance entirely and the ethics official who delivered that recommendation was fired. Blanche offered no explanation for why he defied the guidance or how rejecting it squares with his duty to the American people.