Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, facing a grueling five-hour confirmation hearing as he seeks to secure a permanent appointment as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer. Blanche, whom President Trump nominated in June to succeed Pam Bondi, encountered sharp questioning from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers over his former role as Trump’s defense attorney, his handling of department matters, and a series of controversial policy decisions during his interim tenure.

A central point of friction during the session involved the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation files, which were published under a 2025 federal transparency law. Under aggressive questioning from committee members, Blanche acknowledged “mistakes that were made” during the release of the documents, which inadvertently exposed survivors’ unredacted personal details. While he apologized to those affected by the disclosure, he declined to commit to holding personal meetings with the survivors.

Committee Democrats, led by Sen. Adam Schiff of California, aggressively pressed the nominee regarding a recent Justice Department settlement resolving a legal dispute over the president’s tax returns. The agreement broadly shielded Trump and his sons from past legal liability, prompting scrutiny over Blanche’s impartiality. Blanche defended the agreement and clarified that it would not shield the president from future audits, stating that because Trump had not yet filed for the current year, “there’s no protection, based upon this agreement”. He also rejected allegations of a conflict of interest, asserting that there were “very clear ethics rules” he was required to follow and did follow.

The nominee additionally faced scrutiny over his decision to authorize subpoenas directed at New York Times journalists following a report on Air Force One security concerns. Blanche insisted that the Justice Department was “not targeting reporters” but was trying to identify the source of the leak, arguing that the journalists were “material witnesses, just like a reporter would be a material witness to a car crash”. Additionally, Blanche confirmed that a highly criticized, $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund formerly proposed by the administration is now “dead”.

Blanche’s path to confirmation remains narrow, given the narrow partisan divide on the panel. He requires the support of every Republican member to secure a favorable recommendation, and key Republican Senators Jon Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina indicated to reporters that they still need further assurances from the nominee and the White House before pledging their votes.

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