Overview
- Blanche testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday and faced sharp questioning about his ties to President Trump and his record running the Justice Department.
- His nomination likely needs every Republican on the committee to vote yes, and key GOP senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis have not committed to supporting him.
- A federal judge this week voided parts of the IRS settlement tied to a proposed $1.8 billion compensation fund and sent lawyers involved, including those in the administration, to state bar authorities for possible ethics review.
- Victims and advocates criticized the Justice Department's release of Jeffrey Epstein files under Blanche for redaction failures that exposed survivors' personal information, and Blanche acknowledged mistakes in that process.
- More than 1,200 former DOJ employees have publicly opposed the nomination, saying mass departures and personnel changes have hollowed out the department and that confirming Blanche could institutionalize a shift in priorities and prosecutions.