Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche faced a rocky start to his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, stumbling over a question about his relationship with President Trump. Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) asked Blanche whether he considers Trump a friend, prompting a revealing verbal correction.
“I’m his lawyer — was his lawyer, and now I’m the deputy attorney general,” Blanche said, quickly backtracking after initially describing himself as the president’s current attorney. He added, “I met him as his criminal defense attorney. I’m not sure there’s very many people who have ever had a criminal defense attorney who calls that person their friend.”
The slip-up came as the Senate Judiciary Committee held the first day of hearings on Blanche’s nomination to lead the Justice Department permanently. Blanche, who served as Trump’s personal lawyer during multiple criminal cases, took over as acting attorney general after Pam Bondi was pushed out of the role. His ties to the president have drawn scrutiny, with the New York City Bar Association declaring him unfit for the position.
Senators pressed Blanche on several explosive topics, including the release of files linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Trump’s settlement with the Internal Revenue Service, and the constitutional question of whether the president is eligible for a third term. The hearing highlighted the partisan divide over Blanche’s independence from the White House.
Trump, meanwhile, mounted a vigorous defense of Blanche ahead of the hearing. In a Truth Social post, the president claimed that under Blanche’s leadership, murder rates dropped to historic lows, including “the biggest one year drop in RECORDED HISTORY.” Trump also praised the department’s seizure of over 500 million lethal doses of drugs and framed the achievements as a victory for law and order.
“This is what happens when you unleash LAW AND ORDER on our streets, instead of protecting vicious Criminal Thugs, and releasing dangerous Illegal Aliens into our Communities like the Dumocrats did for four disastrous years under Sleepy Joe Biden,” Trump wrote.
Blanche’s nomination has faced headwinds beyond the hearing room. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) has withheld support over a dispute involving the anti-weaponization fund, complicating the path to confirmation. Democrats have also grilled other Trump nominees, such as intelligence pick Jay Clayton, over election denial and FISA stalemates.
The hearing underscored the delicate balance Blanche must strike: proving his loyalty to Trump while convincing senators he can lead the Justice Department independently. His verbal slip—calling himself Trump’s lawyer in the present tense—only fueled concerns about his impartiality.
