Todd Blanche Grilled Over Epstein Files and Jan. 6 Pardons at Combative AG Confirmation Hearing

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche endured hours of pointed questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, as senators from both parties pressed President Trump's former personal defense lawyer on his independence, the Justice Department's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and pardons issued to Jan. 6 defendants.

Blanche, who represented Trump in his New York criminal trial before joining the administration, is now seeking Senate confirmation to lead the department permanently. Democrats used the hearing to question whether a lawyer who so recently defended the president could impartially oversee an agency that touches the president's personal and political interests. Blanche insisted he would follow the facts and the law, but the exchanges were frequently tense.

Much of the scrutiny centered on the department's treatment of records related to Epstein, the disgraced financier whose case has become a persistent political controversy. Senators demanded to know why more material had not been released and pushed Blanche to explain decisions made during his tenure as acting attorney general. He was also questioned about the administration's now-defunct $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund and about the sweeping clemency granted to people convicted in connection with the Capitol riot.

Republicans on the panel raised their own priorities, including a series of questions about mifepristone, the abortion pill, and about whether the department would revisit its regulation. Blanche was pressed as well on whether he believed Trump could seek a third term, a question he sought to sidestep. Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley opened the session by defending the nominee's qualifications while acknowledging the stakes of confirming a new attorney general.

Blanche's path to confirmation is unexpectedly narrow. The sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham left Judiciary Committee Republicans with only one vote to spare, meaning Blanche must hold nearly all of the panel's GOP members to advance to the full Senate. Any defection could stall the nomination in committee, and several senators left the hearing without committing to support him.

The proceedings stretched into a second day, when Epstein survivors were scheduled to testify about their experiences and about what they want from the Justice Department. Their appearance guaranteed that the case would remain at the center of the confirmation fight. By the end of the first day, Blanche's allies expressed confidence he would ultimately be confirmed, while his critics argued the hearing had raised more questions than it answered about the department's direction under Trump.