Senate Judiciary Democrat opposes Todd Blanche nomination for top U.S. Justice post

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Democrats oppose Blanche nomination

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Senate Judiciary Committee Democrat Dick Durbin opposes Trump's nomination of Todd Blanche for U.S. Attorney General, citing concerns over DOJ independence.
Durbin accuses Blanche of establishing a $1.8 billion settlement fund benefiting Trump allies and barring IRS audits of Trump, his family, and companies.
Durbin cites Blanche's use of DOJ powers against Trump's opponents, controversial handling of the Epstein files, and pledges further scrutiny at the confirmation hearing.

Durbin lays out objections to nomination

As reported by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Durbin entered a statement into the Congressional Record criticizing Trump's nomination of Blanche to serve as the next U.S. Attorney General. The Illinois Democrat, who is the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, says Blanche has weakened the Justice Department's independence and put allegiance to the president ahead of institutional credibility.

Durbin says he previously warned Blanche, during his consideration for Deputy Attorney General, about the need to keep the department separate from politics. He argues that over the past year Blanche has instead crossed that line, and he contends that Blanche's elevation reflects Trump's preference for appointees whose loyalty is personal rather than institutional.

Durbin also accuses Blanche of taking the department's powers to new extremes while serving as Acting Attorney General. He cites what he describes as a $1.8 billion settlement fund benefiting Trump's allies and alleges that the arrangement bars the IRS from auditing past tax returns of Trump, his family and related companies.

Confirmation fight sharpens around DOJ independence

Durbin further says Blanche has used the Justice Department against Trump's political opponents, pointing to an indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center and a second indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. He characterizes both cases as baseless and says the Comey prosecution was driven by Trump's long-running grievances.

In his statement, Durbin also references testimony from former Attorney General Pam Bondi to the House Oversight Committee, where she said Blanche was in charge of the process and release of the Epstein files. Durbin says Blanche's role in that matter, along with the transfer of Ghislaine Maxwell to a minimum-security prison after a two-day interview Blanche personally conducted, raises further questions about his fitness for the post.

Durbin says Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee plan to press Blanche for answers at his confirmation hearing and urge compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. He adds that he voted against Blanche when the Senate considered him for Deputy Attorney General a year ago and says he has even less confidence in him now.

Our earlier coverage of the Justice Department’s legal opinion on Title VII focused on a major policy shift led by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, arguing that the EEOC’s disparate-impact guidelines are unconstitutional. We noted that the opinion would raise the bar for disparate-impact claims and give employers more latitude to use performance-linked hiring tools, reframing how discrimination cases may be litigated and enforced.

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