Overview
- President Trump has nominated acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and he will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee for confirmation hearings on July 15 and 16.
- Former Attorney General William Barr urged Senate Republicans to confirm Blanche in a June 26 Wall Street Journal op-ed, arguing confirmation would bring stability and authority to the DOJ.
- Left‑leaning groups and 101 former federal and state judges filed a 73‑page ethics complaint with the New York State Bar alleging misconduct, including improper use of DOJ powers and involvement with a proposed $1.776 billion compensation fund.
- U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered the DOJ to unredact additional pages of Epstein‑related files within one week, saying Blanche effectively conceded violations of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a claim the DOJ disputes.
- The nomination is politically uncertain in a narrowly divided Senate and has drawn sharply different coverage with conservative voices stressing institutional continuity and critics warning that confirmation would normalize politicized prosecutions and shift DOJ priorities.