Todd Blanche's bid to become attorney general remains a live Senate fight after a July 15 confirmation hearing put the Justice Department's independence, the handling of Jeffrey Epstein files and a disputed Trump-related settlement at the center of questioning.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a second session for Thursday, July 16, immediately after its executive business meeting. That follow-up hearing lists witnesses including former Attorney General John Ashcroft, former DOJ pardon attorney Elizabeth Oyer, Epstein survivor advocate Dani Bensky and Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation president Jon Adler.
The practical question is not only whether Blanche can survive the committee. It is what senators require before moving a nominee who is already running the department in an acting role into the permanent job.
What changed
The July 15 hearing gave senators a public forum to test several pressure points at once. The committee's official notice identified Blanche as the nominee to be attorney general and placed the first session in Hart Senate Office Building Room 216 at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
According to the Associated Press and The Guardian, senators questioned Blanche over a proposed anti-weaponization fund tied to a Trump settlement, protections from future tax audits for Trump and his family, the department's treatment of Jan. 6 cases and the release of Epstein-related files. Blanche defended the department's work and said the fund would not move forward, while some senators continued to press for firmer assurances.
Chairman Chuck Grassley's prepared opening statement framed the hearing as a review of Blanche's record at the Justice Department and praised the department's crime, fentanyl and oversight figures. Grassley also said there were fair questions for Blanche and that he had demanded answers from the department on matters where he disagreed with its handling.
What to watch next
The July 16 witness panel matters because it shifts the hearing from Blanche's own testimony to outside testimony from supporters, former officials and people directly affected by issues senators raised. That can give undecided senators political and factual cover either to advance the nomination or to demand more records before a vote.
Watch for three signals. First, whether Republican concerns narrow to written assurances on the settlement fund and tax-audit language. Second, whether Democrats use the witness panel to build a broader case about DOJ independence rather than a single dispute. Third, whether the committee sets a vote quickly or lets the nomination sit while members seek more documents.
Because the hearing is still unfolding, the most useful marker is procedural: a scheduled committee vote would show leadership believes Blanche has enough support to advance. A delay would show that the July 15 questions created more work for the nominee before the full Senate ever gets the nomination.
