Blanche Confirmation Hearing, US and Strait of Hormuz, ICE Vehicle Stops
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What is at stake in Todd Blanche’s Senate confirmation hearing?
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch faces a Senate confirmation hearing today.
Democrats accuse him of weaponizing the Justice Department for President Trump. A few Republicans have concerns about his track record. Does Blanch have the numbers?
I'm Amy Martinez, that's Leila Fadl, and this is Up First from NPR News. A deal between the U.S. and Iran was supposed to mean that the Strait of Hormuz is open for business. Now President Trump has ordered a blockade. He says the military will take control of the waterway, but is that possible without boots on the ground?
Why do Democrats say Blanche has 'weaponized' the Justice Department?
And ICE is putting a temporary pause on most traffic stops after agents shot and killed two people in a week. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.
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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch will be on Capitol Hill today for his confirmation hearing to lead the Justice Department on a permanent basis.
It is a high-stakes moment for Blanch, given that he has a narrow path to confirmation in the Senate, where Republicans have a razor-thin majority.
NPR Justice Correspondent Ryan Lucas is covering this. Ryan, it should be a spicy one today.
Yeah, I expect this to be a tense hearing today, and that's because in this second Trump administration, the Justice Department has been in turmoil. It has been at the center of a number of political firestorms, and Blanche himself has been in the thick of all of it. He is seen as a Trump loyalist. He previously served as Trump's personal attorney. And then when Trump returned to office, he named Blanche to be the number two official at the Justice Department. Blanche then became acting attorney general in April after Trump pushed out his first attorney general, Pam Bondi. Trump has liked what he's seen from Blanche in the past couple months. He nominated him for the job full time. But Democrats, and it has to be said a few Republicans, have concerns about Blanche's track record over the past 18 months at the department.
And so I expect him to get tough questions about that today.
What do you think will be the focus of what the senators will try to grill him about?
Could Republican defections sink Blanche’s nomination in the Senate?
Well, look, Democrats have a whole bunch of issues that they're going to want to get into with Blanche. They say that he has destroyed the Justice Department's traditional independence from the White House. They say that he's made it subservient to the president, weaponized it to go after Trump's perceived political enemies. And there's a long list of Trump critics who have faced DOJ investigations or prosecutions, perhaps most notably former FBI Director James Comey, who has been indicted twice by this Justice Department. Democrats also have questions about Blanche's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, whether the Justice Department and Blanche specifically did anything to try to shield President Trump from embarrassment in those files.
And then there's the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund that the department agreed to set up as part of a settlement with Trump to end his lawsuit against the IRS.
Yeah, and that's the anti-weaponization fund that the Justice Department says is not going forward.
That's right. The fund has been scrapped, yes. But the part of the settlement that shields Trump and his family from audits of past tax returns, that remains in place. And Democrats view that as exhibit A of what they say is Blanche working in Trump's interest instead of the public interest. It's also worth noting here that a federal judge this week blasted both Trump and the Justice Department over the settlement. The judge said Trump's lawsuit was brought in bad faith in order to manipulate the judicial process and try to use the court to provide a degree of legitimacy to the eventual settlement.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is at stake in Todd Blanche’s Senate confirmation hearing?
0:02–0:32
2
Why do Democrats say Blanche has 'weaponized' the Justice Department?
0:32–2:49
3
Could Republican defections sink Blanche’s nomination in the Senate?
2:49–4:22
4
What controversies surround Blanche’s handling of the Epstein files and settlement?
4:22–6:18
5
What would 'taking control' of the Strait of Hormuz mean militarily?
6:18–8:31
6
How effective have recent U.S. strikes been at reducing Iran’s threat to commercial ships?
8:31–10:50
7
Why is ICE pausing most vehicle stops after three fatal shootings?
10:50–12:46
8
What changes to ICE tactics and body‑camera policies are being proposed now?
12:46–14:55
Speakers
8 identifiedMore from Up First from NPR
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