Todd Blanche faces his Senate confirmation hearing before the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday as President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, following months of controversy over his tenure as the department's acting chief.
Blanche has served as acting attorney general since April 2026 after Trump dismissed Pam Bondi. His nomination has drawn sharp opposition, with more than 1,200 former Justice Department employees urging senators to reject him. A federal judge issued a scathing rebuke on July 13 of a DOJ settlement that shielded Trump from IRS audits and initially included a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund, which was later scrapped. Republican senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn have raised concerns about the agreement.
Emails indicate Blanche played a central role in directing investigations targeting Trump's political adversaries, while overseeing the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey and the wiping of convictions for hundreds of January 6 defendants.