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President Donald Trump’s nominee for US attorney general, Todd Blanche, faces a highly contentious Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
Blanche, who currently serves as acting attorney general, will face intense questioning from Democrats and sceptical Republicans on the panel.
With a narrow Republican majority, a single “no” vote from a GOP committee member could sink the 51-year-old’s nomination.
Democrats heavily criticise Blanche for executing what they describe as a political retribution campaign on behalf of the president.
Under his temporary leadership, the Department of Justice indicted former FBI Director and outspoken Trump critic James Comey.
Blanche also faced backlash for defending a controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponisation fund” to compensate Trump’s political allies and supporting a deal that shielded the president from tax audits—though the administration eventually dropped the fund and a federal judge voided the tax settlement.
Additionally, survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein urge the Senate to reject Blanche.
They accuse the Justice Department of leaking their private contact information while keeping the identities of powerful individuals redacted in recently released files.
Despite these controversies, Trump strongly defended his former personal defence lawyer on Truth Social, calling his performance “phenomenal” and urging all Senate Republicans to vote for his confirmation.
