President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Todd Blanche, will face a high-stakes confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, as Republicans confront a narrow margin and lingering questions about his independence from the White House.Blanche, who has been serving as acting attorney general after Pam Bondi was ousted in April, will appear before the committee Wednesday and Thursday. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton, Trump’s pick to become director of national intelligence, is also scheduled to testify Wednesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee.The acting attorney general has come far from where he stood just two years ago as Trump’s former personal attorney, who was one of several to be elevated to ranking Justice Department positions after the president defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
Now Blanche faces the ultimate test of whether his past loyalty to his former client — and a handful of Republican skeptics — will make or break his nomination and thrust it to a full floor vote ahead of the August recess.GOP’s narrow committee margin raises stakes
Republicans hold an 11-10 edge on the Judiciary Committee following the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) over the weekend. It is unclear how Gov. Henry McMaster’s (R-SC) selection of Graham’s sister as his replacement will affect the hearing.Two GOP members of the committee, Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and John Cornyn (R-TX), have publicly raised concerns about Blanche and have not committed to supporting him.Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), center, flanked by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), left, and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
