Trump’s AG pick Todd Blanche to face high-stakes Senate hearing this week

President Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, Todd Blanche, will face a high-stakes confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday and Thursday.

Blanche, who currently serves as acting Attorney General after Pam Bondi was ousted in April, may face an uphill battle as even one Republican defector could deadlock the committee and stall his nomination. Republicans hold just an 11-10 edge on the committee following the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham over the weekend. It’s unclear how the selection of Graham’s replacement – his sister – by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, will impact the hearing. 

Two Republicans on the committee, Sens. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn, have publicly expressed concerns about Blanche and have not committed to supporting his nomination. Beyond the committee vote, Sen. Mitch McConnell’s hospitalization and unspecified return date tightens Republicans’ already slim majority in the full Senate, further complicating Blanche’s path to confirmation.

“He should be facing a very tough hearing, the math is getting even more difficult and more challenging with the variables surrounding McConnell and now the passing of Lindsey Graham,” former federal prosecutor Ankush Khardori told MS Now. “His nomination is far from a certain thing. And with Graham now passed away and gone and McConnell in the hospital indefinitely there are more variables … he should be worried about how this plays out.” 

Tillis recently told CNN that he had a “positive predisposition towards Blanche” but warned that if “there’s even a whiff of a lack of independence, then that could influence my vote.”

The North Carolina senator met with Blanche in June and said he “appreciated the opportunity to hear his vision for the Department of Justice” but remained noncommittal about his vote.

Sen. Cornyn also met with Blanche in June and called it a “positive interview” but declined to say how he will vote. 

“He committed to further briefing on the tax audit issue involving President Trump and his family,” Cornyn wrote on X of Blanche. “I will not make a decision on confirmation until after that briefing and completion of his hearing before the committee.” 

The White House has praised Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s personal lawyer, for doing an “excellent job” as acting Attorney General.

“President Trump has a great relationship with Todd and is very pleased with the job he’s done so far,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Heartlander News. “Todd Blanche is an American patriot who fearlessly fought on behalf of President Trump against the Democrats’ illegal and unprecedented lawfare campaign. The President’s entire team at the Department of Justice is doing a great job advocating for sanity, law and order, and policies that keep Americans safe.”

Blanche won’t be the only Trump pick to face tough questions this week. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton, who Trump has tapped to be Director of National Intelligence, will face the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday. Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Deputy Surgeon General Erica Schwartz, is also set to appear before the Senate HELP committee on the same day.