July 15, 2026 10:50 AM UTC

Todd Blanche Disqualifies Himself in Confirmation Hearing

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• by: Colorado Pols

There have been no shortage of cringeworthy and questionable nominations for high-level cabinet positions from President Trump. Even with that qualifier, Trump’s nominee to be his full-time personal attorney Attorney General stands out as uniquely dangerous.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is facing questions today from the Senate Judiciary Committee as he seeks to take on the job on a permanent basis (Blanche has been serving in an acting capacity since Trump canned Pam Bondi in April). Early in today’s confirmation hearings, Blanche made a Freudian slip that confirmed every critic’s fears about his nomination:

Blanche slips! 😬

KENNEDY: Are you and President Trump friends?

BLANCHE: I’m his lawyer. Was his lawyer.

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) July 15, 2026 at 8:38 AM

SENATOR KENNEDY: Are you and President Trump friends?

BLANCHE: I’m his lawyer. Was his lawyer. And now I’m the Deputy Attorney General.

Gah!

This is a gaffe that perfectly encapsulates the reason why the Senate should NOT confirm Blanche as Attorney General. As the editorial board of The New York Times explains:

On Monday, two days before the Senate hearing to consider Todd Blanche’s nomination to become the nation’s chief law enforcement official, a federal judge strongly suggested that he may not even be fit to practice law.

Earlier this year, Mr. Blanche agreed to a settlement that resulted in tax audit immunity for President Trump and his family as well as a potential $1.8 billion payout fund controlled by his administration. It was an inside deal: Mr. Trump the citizen was on one side of the negotiation, while the Internal Revenue Service, which he oversees, was on the other. Judge Kathleen Williams of the Southern District of Florida said in her ruling on Monday that she was “extremely troubled” by Mr. Blanche’s behavior. It was so egregious that she referred his actions to judicial officials in New York State for potential disciplinary action, including disbarment.

The scheme was one of many ways that Mr. Blanche, who was previously Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer and now serves as acting attorney general, has placed the interests of his former client above those of the country. It is yet another reason that senators of both parties should reject the president’s demand that Mr. Blanche be confirmed to lead the Department of Justice. [Pols emphasis]

Of all the powers Americans give their government, none can curtail personal liberty like those of the Department of Justice, and this editorial board has listed the ways Mr. Blanche has abused that authority. He has celebrated the Jan. 6 rioters. He has misled Congress under oath. He has said it is Mr. Trump’s “right,” and “indeed it is his duty,” to use the department to investigate people he “has had issues with.”

Blanche actually was one of Trump’s personal attorneys; he was part of the legal team in 2023 that defended Trump over his hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. Since joining the Department of Justice in 2025, Blanche has done the President’s bidding on numerous ridiculous lawsuits fueled by Trump’s personal vendettas. As the Times warns, approving this nomination would give Todd carte-Blanche to use the DOJ as Trump’s personal law firm:

Mr. Blanche has helped Mr. Trump violate decades of bipartisan tradition and use the Justice Department as an instrument of personal power.

If Mr. Blanche is confirmed, the problems are likely to worsen. Mr. Trump has repeatedly indicated an interest in interfering with this year’s midterm elections. He continues to lie about his 2020 defeat, and his administration, including Mr. Blanche, has investigated election officials who have done nothing wrong. There is every reason to worry that Mr. Blanche might use the powers of the Justice Department to intimidate voters or interfere with ballot counting this fall.

Blanche’s confirmation can probably be stopped if Republican Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis object. Given that both Cornyn and Tillis are leaving the Senate after this year because they ran afoul of Trump’s loyalty test, there’s real hope that this might happen.