Blanche Confirmation Hearing, Iran War And Midterm Politics, Clayton ODNI Hearing
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And thank you. It wasn't Todd Blanch's qualifications that were front and center at his confirmation hearing to lead the Justice Department.
The focus was his loyalty.
Are you in President Trump, friends?
I'm his lawyer, was his lawyer.
I'm Leila Faudel with A. Martinez, and this is Up First from NPR News. President Trump notified Congress that the U.S. is back at war with Iran. A majority of Americans oppose the war, but Trump's base is behind him. Will anything make that change?
And the president's pick for intelligence chief wouldn't acknowledge that Trump lost the 2020 election.
I'm not going to get into that with you.
But you do have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the committee.
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What happened at Todd Blanche's confirmation hearing and why did senators focus on his loyalty?
The Senate Judiciary Committee grilled President Trump's nominee to lead the Justice Department on Wednesday.
But it wasn't Todd Blanch's qualifications for the job that were the focus. Instead, the panel honed in on his close ties to the president and whether he would serve Trump or the American people.
NPR's Kerry Johnson has been following the hearing. Kerry, I mean, no shortage of controversy at the DOJ over the past year and a half. And Todd Blanch has really been at the center of it. How did that come up in the hearing?
Yeah, Todd Blanch has been the deputy attorney general, the second in command at the Justice Department since last year. He assumed the top job in April after President Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi. Getting that promotion on a permanent basis requires Senate confirmation, so lawmakers got a chance to ask Blanch. about a lot of problems. He got questions about prosecutions against the president's political foes, about how DOJ botched the release of files about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and about a nearly $2 billion slush fund the administration tried to set up to pay alleged victims of weaponization. That includes people who stormed the Capitol on January 6th.
How did Todd Blanch respond?
Well, Todd Blanch basically said he's a creature of the Justice Department. He's worked there as an intern, a paralegal, and a prosecutor. And he told them serving in the Justice Department represents an American dream.
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