Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche faces Senate confirmation hearing

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, in his opening statement of his confirmation hearing to become the Justice Department’s next attorney general, told senators he is there to “earn your trust once more.” 

“Seventeen months ago, I sat at this table as the nominee to be the deputy attorney general, and I told you that serving in the Department of Justice was my American dream,” Blanche told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Since then, I have helped lead it, first as deputy and now as acting attorney general. And I'm here today to earn your trust once more.” 

"I've lived the American dream. I waited tables to get through college, moved to New York with my wife and two young kids, went to law school at night, read textbooks on the late train home while I work days as a paralegal at the U.S. Attorney's office,” Blanche said.  

“From that start, I became a prosecutor and spent nine years prosecuting violent gangs and drug dealers. I rose through the ranks of the Department of Justice as a line prosecutor, then a division chief. Then as of last year, deputy attorney general and now acting attorney general,” Blanche continued. “But I did not take that path for a title. I took it to make a difference for American families and the towns they call home.” 

“I am exceedingly grateful to President Trump for his trust and to my family, who have carried me through every long day and late night,” Blanche also said. 

"I'm proud of what we've done to help American families see safer streets, and to have a fair shot at the life they're working to build. None of this is a Republican or Democrat issue. Every senator here has constituents who just want to be safe," Blanche added. "The men and women of this department are the finest people I have ever worked with and leading them is the honor of my professional life. We are keeping America safe and we are just getting started. I love this country. I love the Department of Justice.”

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, paid tribute to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham at the beginning of Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing on Wednesday. 

"I want to acknowledge the obvious empty seat at the dais here, next to the chairman,” Durbin said. “The committee is mourning the loss of our friend and colleague, Senator Lindsey Graham, former chairman and ranking member of this committee.” 

“I served on the committee with Senator Graham since he joined the Senate in 2003,” Durbin continued. “I'm going to cherish my memories of both our fierce partisan battles and our landmark bipartisan agreements. He was a trusted friend." 

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee is now underway. 

"Mr. Blanche, thank you for being here. As I've said before, this is one of the most important offices in our country,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the committee’s chairman, said at the start of the hearing. “You went through a rough Senate confirmation a little over a year ago, so you know all about it.” 

The Senate has already judged your fitness for high office and confirmed you as the department's second in command. Today, we consider you for promotion, and we're not starting out from a blank slate,” Grassley continued. “You have a track record. My Democrat colleagues have relentlessly attacked the department, and your and President Trump's leadership, they've called the department ‘a disgrace’ and suggested the agency is broken. Their media allies and activist networks have echoed that message.” 

“Are these assertions correct? Let's put aside partisan criticism for a moment and address the evidence. The department’s primary duty is to enforce our nation's laws and to keep Americans safe. So how is the department stacking up? The answer is for those who care to judge fairly, it's a record of success,” Grassley added. 

“The United States has the lowest murder rate since 1900. The FBI has captured eight of the top ten most wanted fugitives. Violent crime arrests by the FBI are up 184%. More than 849 individuals have been disrupted from conducting terrorist attacks. The ATF has seized more than 44,000 illegal firearms. That is not a failure,” Grassley said. 

Washington D.C.'s entrenched politicos sprang into action last week before key confirmation hearings in the U.S. Senate to try and sink President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general.

Roughly 1,200 Department of Justice (DOJ) alumni signed off on a letter on Tuesday sent to high-ranking Senate Judiciary Committee leaders demanding they reject elevating Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as he prepares for confirmation hearings on July 15 and 16.

Blanche, who previously served as former AG Pam Bondi's No. 2, has been tapped by the 47th president to do the job permanently, sending the former bureaucrats into a frenzy.

The signatories of the letter trying to stop the process bill themselves as former DOJ employees from Republican and Democratic administrations, which is true. But even a cursory look at some of the names reveals the letter's true hyperpartisan nature.

"This list is a who's who of partisan activists, including liberal politicians such as former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who saw crime drastically rise under her tenure, Trump impeachment witness Pamela Karlan, and multiple former disgruntled Biden administration officials, some of whom were directly involved in the weaponization of the Department," a DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital of the letter.

A former White House official quipped that, "It looks like they passed a petition around the MS NOW green room."

President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post ahead of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing that “every Republican Senator should vote to CONFIRM Todd Blanche, ASAP!” 

“Todd Blanche is doing a PHENOMENAL job as Acting Attorney General of the United States. Under Todd’s incredible leadership at DOJ, Murder is down to the LOWEST level since 1900, and we just saw the biggest one year drop in RECORDED HISTORY,” Trump wrote on Tuesday. 

“Todd has fought hard for Religious Liberty, ended the Weaponization of our Justice System, protected FREE SPEECH, kept Men OUT of Women’s Sports, strengthened Election Integrity, and gone to all-out-WAR against Fraud like nobody in the History of the Department of Justice. He is tough, brilliant, and 100% LOYAL to our Constitution, and the American People,” the president added. 

“When the Corrupt Biden ‘Injustice’ Department and Radical Left Prosecutors tried to throw me in jail, and interfered in our Historic 2024 Presidential Campaign, Todd stood by my side and fought off the Lawfare,” Trump also said. “He is a great lawyer, always very fair, and every Republican Senator should vote to CONFIRM Todd Blanche, ASAP!”

Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche will face senators Wednesday in a high-stakes confirmation hearing that will test Republican unity on the Senate Judiciary Committee in the first major nomination fight since the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham.

"My colleagues and I are working to fill Senator Graham’s seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee before the Committee votes on Todd Blanche’s nomination next week," Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn told Fox News Digital.

"I look forward to confirming Mr. Blanche as Attorney General so he can continue his great work to crack down on crime, eradicate the two tiers of justice, and wipe out fraud. That’s exactly what Lindsey would’ve wanted us to do to honor his legacy," she added.

Republicans are navigating their first major nomination battle without Graham—a former Judiciary Committee chairman whose courtroom-style questioning and command of confirmation fights made him one of the GOP's most influential voices.

Blanche has been a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, first serving as his personal defense attorney before helping lead his criminal defense against cases Trump and his allies denounced as politically motivated.

He was appointed by Trump as Deputy Attorney General when the president returned to office before being tapped to fill former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s shoes.

Several key groups are coming to the support of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as he navigates Senate confirmation to officially become the successor to Pam Bondi, according to the office of Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Support cited by Grassley's office includes 670,000 sworn officers, 300 angel families, families who lost a loved one to crimes committed by undocumented immigrants and 100 bipartisan U.S. attorneys and DOJ officials.

The office highlighted a statement from 23 attorneys general, among other outpourings of support.

"At a time when Americans expect their government to protect communities from violent crime, narcotics trafficking, human trafficking, terrorism and organized criminal activity, Todd Blanche has shown the ability to deliver real results. His record reflects a commitment to public safety, vigorous enforcement of federal law and effective stewardship of the Department of Justice… we urge the Senate to swiftly confirm Todd Blanche as United States Attorney General," the statement said.

Support received by Grassley highlighted Blanche’s work as acting attorney general and, in particular, his aggressive stance toward enforcement.

Blanche took over the Department of Justice after Bondi left the role in April.

President Donald Trump dismissed her after what many critics saw as a botched handling of the Epstein Files, overpromising transparency on who may have facilitated the sex trafficking crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and then underdelivering.

Fox News Digital's Peter D'Abrosca contributed to this post.