What We’re Watching For at Todd Blanche’s Confirmation Hearing

This Wednesday, Todd Blanche will begin his Senate confirmation hearing as part of the process to officially become U.S. attorney general. Blanche, who was appointed deputy attorney general in early 2025, has been serving as acting attorney general since Pam Bondi’s ouster in April.

Blanche rose to prominence as President Trump’s personal defense attorney, and he has said that he has a “continuing duty of loyalty” to Trump. That, along with actions he has already taken at the Department of Justice (DOJ), raise serious concerns about his ability to lead DOJ as the nation’s top law enforcement officer.

Here’s what you need to know about Blanche’s stated allegiance to Trump, his goals and actions at DOJ, and how we’re fighting for answers.

Todd Blanche’s work as Donald Trump’s defense attorney

Blanche led Trump’s defense team for several criminal cases in 2023 and 2024. Those cases include: 

• The hush money case where Trump was accused of making payments to Stormy Daniels to conceal a sexual encounter 
• The federal election interference case where Trump was charged with attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election
• The federal classified documents case where Trump was charged with hoarding highly sensitive documents at Mar-a-Lago

Trump has repeatedly referred to Blanche as the man who “kept [him] out of jail.” Former Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led the federal cases, has said the investigation into Trump produced “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump unlawfully attempted to overturn the 2020 election. Smith has also said that he uncovered “powerful evidence” that the president willfully retained highly classified documents after leaving office.

Because of this history, Blanche was asked about his relationship with Trump during his confirmation hearing to become deputy attorney general. He stated unequivocally that he has a loyalty to Trump, and that they maintain an “attorney-client relationship.”

How has Blanche performed as deputy attorney general?

Blanche reportedly played a central role in DOJ’s review of records related to Jeffrey Epstein and his associates, including personally interviewing Ghislaine Maxwell. Reporting has suggested that documents mentioning Trump were withheld from release, even though the Epstein Files Transparency Act prohibits shielding individuals from scrutiny including for “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.”

Blanche also may have played a role in matters connected to former Special Counsel Smith’s investigations. According to public reports, Blanche has boasted about helping “clean house” at the DOJ and FBI following Trump’s return to office, including the removal of personnel involved in Smith’s investigations. During his 2025 confirmation process for deputy attorney general, Blanche also testified that he would not support releasing the full second volume of Smith’s report concerning Trump’s handling of classified records.

Blanche has also been involved in the battle over the Presidential Records Act (PRA). Despite his clear conflict of interest as Trump’s personal attorney, Blanche has seemingly continued to decide which presidential records from Trump’s first administration are eligible for release under the PRA. That was before DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel declared that Trump and his staff do not need to adhere to the PRA at all — an unconstitutional claim that we are challenging in court.

In the months since his promotion to acting attorney general, Blanche has used his position at DOJ to further Trump’s personal agenda. He was central to the planning for Trump’s controversial $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who claim they were wrongly investigated by the Biden administration. He also announced DOJ’s prosecutions of the Southern Poverty Law Center and former Federal Bureau of Investigations Director James Comey. These charges followed reports that Trump had been frustrated with Pam Bondi for not securing those and other indictments.

What are we looking for in Blanche’s testimony?

If he is confirmed as attorney general, Blanche will become the permanent head at DOJ and control sweeping federal law enforcement powers. We need to know more about how he plans to use his power — including whether he will shield Trump from investigations or further weaponize DOJ to target Trump’s opponents. We also need answers about the actions Blanche has already taken at DOJ, including the attempted prosecutions of multiple longtime Trump political opponents.

We filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for Blanche’s texts and emails about two recent DOJ matters: Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents and DOJ’s review of investigative files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Those communications could shed light on whether Blanche is using his power to shield the president from investigations into election interference and Epstein. The public needs access to that information before Blanche’s confirmation vote, so we sued DOJ to demand it quickly process our FOIA requests, but the court denied our motion for a preliminary injunction.

Given Blanche’s role in DOJ’s review of the Epstein files, his confirmation hearing could also provide the opportunity to answer longstanding questions like what instructions staff received when reviewing the files, why those instructions were given, and by whom.

The U.S. attorney general is tasked with upholding our country’s rule of law and protecting public safety. Congress and the public should have access to Blanche’s records before his confirmation hearing in order to know if Blanche will be more loyal to the president than to the American people if he is confirmed.