Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Wednesday that “the Constitution gives the president the full power to pardon anybody for any reason he wants” when asked by Sen. Dick Durbin about the president’s past pardons of Jan. 6 defendants.
“Do you think that blanket pardon by the president of January 6th rioters was the right thing to do?” Durbin, D-Ill., asked Blanche during his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“I think that this the Constitution gives the president the full power to pardon anybody for any reason he wants. And so I don't question President Trump's authority or as a decision to do so on January 20,” Blanche responded.
“You don't question his decision?” Durbin then asked him.
“As I said, President Trump, under our Constitution, just like President Biden, has the authority to pardon anybody for any federal crime. And that's something that every president -- that's a privilege every president’s afforded, including President Biden and President Trump,” Blanche told him.
“Well, I can tell you, he may have had the authority to do it, but I think someone should have grabbed him by the arm and said, ‘stop, you can't release all of those rioters. Some of them actually physically assaulted policemen in the Capitol,” Durbin responded. “Some of them were guilty of crimes, serious crimes before that day. And for the president to give a blanket pardon to these individuals. It's something that I don't think you can explain to the American people. You certainly can't explain it to the policemen who almost lost their lives because of these attackers.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Wednesday during his confirmation hearing that the Justice Department will do “everything that we can” to push back against sanctuary jurisdictions, which limit local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
"Will you use every tool that you have in your toolbox to go after these sanctuary jurisdictions?” Blanche was asked by Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.
"There are thousands of examples of our law enforcement agents being put at risk because instead of going into a jail to arrest somebody or take somebody who's here illegally, even with a final order of deportation, that individual gets released in the community and it puts everybody in the community at risk,” Blanche responded.
“It puts law enforcement at risk. It's not consistent with the law. And so, yes, I definitely pledge to you that we will do everything that we can at the department to combat that,” he added.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., on Wednesday that he agrees with him that Jeffrey Epstein was “a pig.”
“Well, first, we can agree, can we not? That Mr. Epstein was a pig,” Kennedy asked Blanche during his confirmation hearing.
“Yes,” Blanche responded.
“Other than to himself, who, if anyone else, did Mr. Epstein traffic young women to?” Kennedy then asked Blanche.
"From what we learned -- from what we know, so when we know I mean what's in the FBI files and what's in the DOJ files. We did not identify evidence. And by we, I mean career prosecutors. Not me, not my leadership, but career prosecutors in New York and career prosecutors in Florida who worked this case hard, did identify other participants, some of whom, as has been discussed, were also victims themselves of Mr. Epstein,” Blanche said.
“But we did not have evidence, as of now, of other men who were, that were trafficked, that Epstein helped traffic. That does not mean it didn't happen. And I want to be clear about that. It just means that we have evidence that the FBI gathered and that the Department of Justice gathered, and that's the body of work that we have to work with. Which is why I said earlier, if there's anybody out there, victim or otherwise, that has information, I beg them to come forward,” Blanche added.
{{#rendered}}Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said during his confirmation hearing Wednesday that there are “no closed investigations” when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein.
"I want to make sure the American people know that this administration, when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein, has been more transparent than any past administration, than Biden was, or anybody else. And what we did is we complied with the law. And if we learned a new material, we will most certainly, review it and make it available,” Blanche said.
"When it comes to the victims of this horrible man, we will never, never not talk to victims. We will never not do everything we can to prosecute anybody that committed any crimes against any of these women. So that narrative is false. We have spoken with over 30 representatives of dozens and dozens of victims, since this process started,” he continued.
“Any victim, if they're here today, I would encourage them or their lawyers to meet with the FBI. We will 100% investigate. There are no closed investigations. If we learn today, if we learn next week, if we learn next month that there's an individual that we can investigate, indict and prosecute out of the Epstein files, you better believe it we will. And so, we worked hard, the hard working lawyers within the department to do the right thing to comply with the [Epstein Files Transparency] act and we did and we will continue to do so,” Blanche also said.
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."
{{#rendered}}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.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is calling Wednesday for the rejection of Todd Blanche as the Justice Department's next attorney general.
Jeffries wrote on X that Blanche, who currently is the acting attorney general, “is deeply unfit to serve as Attorney General” and to “reject him.”
“Todd Blanche is Donald Trump’s personal attorney who: 1. Created the corrupt $1.8 billion slush fund. 2. Weaponized the Department of Justice to persecute Americans. 3. Presided over a massive cover-up,” Jeffries added.
Jeffries' post came before Blanche's grilling before the Senate Judiciary Committee began Wednesday morning.
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."
{{#rendered}}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.
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