Blanche Faces Senate Questions on Epstein Files and $1.8B Fund

The Senate Judiciary Committee opened confirmation hearings Wednesday for Todd Blanche, President Trump’s nominee to serve as attorney general. Blanche has led the Justice Department in an acting capacity since April, when Trump dismissed Pam Bondi. Senators from both parties are expected to examine whether Blanche can separate his prior role as Trump’s personal lawyer from the department’s statutory duties.

Blanche’s record includes oversight of the department’s release of Epstein-related documents under a November statute requiring full disclosure. The Justice Department has stated that withheld materials fell into categories such as duplicates or privileged items, while a group of Epstein survivors released a video urging rejection of the nomination over redactions that exposed victim identities. Blanche also met with Ghislaine Maxwell in prison; she was later transferred to a lower-security facility, a move Blanche has attributed to safety concerns. No other Epstein associates have faced new charges.

A second line of questioning centers on a $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund created as part of a settlement in Trump’s IRS lawsuit. Blanche told Sen. Dick Durbin he made a mistake and would work with Congress to bar the fund’s creation. A federal judge in Miami later ruled the underlying suit collusive, referred Blanche to the New York bar for possible review, and noted the settlement granted Trump and his family broad immunity from audits. The department maintains the plaintiffs received no funds and that the judge disregarded precedent.

More than 1,200 former Justice Department employees signed a letter opposing confirmation, citing firings of career staff and prosecutions of figures including James Comey and Letitia James. Blanche responded that signers had worked with special counsel Jack Smith. Twenty conservative leaders countered with a letter urging swift approval, citing Blanche’s prior federal prosecutorial experience and defense of Trump in the New York case. Republicans hold the committee majority, though the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham has narrowed margins and left one seat temporarily vacant.