Todd Blanche faces Senate confirmation hurdle as Republican senators stall vote

Todd Blanche faces significant obstacles on his path to confirmation as the next attorney general of the United States. Key Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have stalled the upcoming vote, disrupting the chamber's legislative timeline as negotiations continue behind closed doors, according to reports.

The confirmation hurdle is being driven by Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Both lawmakers have previously clashed with President Donald Trump and neither faces re-election in November. The senators are pressing the Justice Department to commit in writing to rescind an anti-weaponization fund that could direct money to Trump allies. They are also demanding restrictions on the scope of tax audit immunity granted to the president and his family members.

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According to a source familiar with the ongoing talks, the Justice Department sent Cornyn a written proposal and other materials addressing the concerns over the IRS settlement agreement. Despite this, Cornyn stated that he has not yet seen a single piece of writing responsive to his requests and remains unready to vote in favor of the nomination. If either Cornyn or Tillis votes against Blanche, the committee lacks the necessary majority to report the nomination favorably to the full Senate.

Complicating the political landscape further, a group of Jeffrey Epstein survivors met with staffers from Cornyn's office to urge opposition to Blanche. Epstein survivors had previously complained that Blanche had blown off requests to meet with them. Blanche wound up doing so earlier after Sen. Thom Tillis made the meeting a condition for his vote. One survivor, Dani Bensky, stated that the acting attorney general was condescending and unwilling to pursue investigative leads during the encounter.

"Todd Blanche is unfit to be acting attorney general because he is not here for the American people’s best interest, and he’s proven that time and time again,"

Dani Bensky, Epstein survivor, via NBC News

Bensky added that Blanche used dismissive language during the encounter, noting that survivors had been asking for meetings for months.

"He actually said the words 'get to the point' to us,"

Dani Bensky, Epstein survivor, via NBC News

The Justice Department strongly disputed the account. Alessandra Serano, a DOJ official who attended the meeting, released a statement defending the discussions:

"The Acting AG worked to address each of these questions directly and substantively over the course of a wide-ranging discussion where he was routinely interrupted. Every survivor in attendance was given direct contact information for a senior DOJ leader. Several have already followed up since the meeting, and one meeting already took place Monday."

Alessandra Serano, DOJ official, via NBC News

Another Justice Department official who was present in the room also called the claim regarding Blanche's language unequivocally false, stating it was false to claim Acting AG Blanche made such a remark.

Cornyn noted that Blanche had a deadline to deliver something that alleviates his concerns, as Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley asked senators to state whether they will support Blanche's nomination.

While the confirmation battles play out in the Senate Judiciary Committee, other hearings in the upper chamber have drawn intense scrutiny. During a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment and declined to answer questions regarding his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Committee Chairman Rand Paul led questioning about coronavirus origins, trying to cast doubt on Fauci's earlier contentions that the virus did not come from a Chinese lab. Paul closed the hearing by announcing that lawmakers will vote on a contempt of Congress referral next week.

Democratic members of the committee defended Fauci, characterizing the proceedings as a partisan exercise and a show trial aimed at discrediting science and medicine. Senator Richard Blumenthal compared the setting to historical congressional inquiries, while Senator Gary Peters criticized the focus on relitigating the past instead of addressing active public health concerns such as foodborne parasite outbreaks and vaccine hesitancy.

Simultaneously, legislative and executive branch developments continue across Washington. The Senate advanced a sanctions and tariff measure, and the executive branch pursues legal challenges involving the Justice Department and matters related to presidential authority. Meanwhile, infrastructure initiatives, including planned renovations at Washington Dulles International Airport involving new terminals and the removal of people movers, remain under discussion between transportation officials and the administration.

What to Watch Next

• Senate Judiciary Committee deliberations regarding the written commitments requested by Cornyn and Tillis.
• Future committee votes determining whether Blanche's nomination advances to the full Senate.
• Further developments concerning Department of Justice transparency measures, federal audit immunity scopes, and the scheduled committee vote on the contempt of Congress referral for Dr. Anthony Fauci.