US Senators Grill Blanche over ‘Slush Fund’ Deal as He Seeks Attorney General Confirmation
Blanche told senators the Justice Department would not defend the $1.8 billion fund as critics raised questions over Jan. 6 payouts and Epstein files.
- On Wednesday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary at the Hart Senate Office Building, vowing the Justice Department would not oppose a permanent congressional ban on the $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization" fund.
- The fund originated from President Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over 2019 tax leaks, but critics quickly labeled it a "slush fund" for likely payouts to pardoned Jan. 6, 2021 defendants.
- Sen. Thom Tillis demanded "to stick a fork in this turkey of a 1776 fund," while Sen. Dick Durbin challenged Blanche on legal implications, stating "no one is above the law" when officials sign controversial documents.
- Lawmakers also questioned Blanche on the Justice Department's release of Jeffrey Epstein files, while his confirmation faces uncertainty in the narrowly divided Senate Committee, now split 11-10 after South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham's death on Saturday.
- President Trump nominated former defense attorney Emil Bove to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, while Blanche committed to meeting with 10 Epstein victims next month to address investigation concerns.
28 Articles
28 Articles
US senators grill Blanche over ‘slush fund’ deal as he seeks attorney general confirmation • Maine Morning Star
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears at his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill July 15, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Eric Lee/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche vowed Wednesday to lawmakers on Capitol Hill that if he is confirmed for the top post, the Justice Department would not oppose an effort in Congress to permanently ban a controversial “anti-weaponizat…
Todd Blanche: The January 6 Slush Fund I Approved Is Not My Fault
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a marathon hearing on Wednesday to consider President Donald Trump’s nomination of Todd Blanche to be the next attorney general. In March 2025, Republican senators confirmed Blanche as deputy attorney general, and Blanche has served as the acting attorney general since Trump fired Pam Bondi in April 2026. For Blanche, working in Justice Department leadership isn’t so different from his previous gig: working as…
US senators grill Todd Blanche over ‘slush fund’ deal and Epstein files at Senate confirmation hearing
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears at his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill July 15, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Eric Lee/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche vowed Wednesday to lawmakers on Capitol Hill that if he is confirmed for the top post, the Justice Department would not oppose an effort in Congress to permanently ban a controversial “anti-weaponizat…
Daily Montanan
US senators grill Blanche over ‘slush fund’ deal as he seeks attorney general confirmation
WASHINGTON — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche vowed Wednesday to lawmakers on Capitol Hill that if he is confirmed for the top post, the Justice Department would not oppose an effort in Congress to permanently ban a controversial “anti-weaponization” fund. Blanche also said he would consider any new information brought forward to the government about […]
US senators grill Blanche over ‘slush fund’ deal as he seeks attorney general confirmation • Rhode Island Current
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears at his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill July 15, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Eric Lee/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche vowed Wednesday to lawmakers on Capitol Hill that if he is confirmed for the top post, the Justice Department would not oppose an effort in Congress to permanently ban a controversial “anti-weaponiza…
Senators Press Blanche on Epstein, Trump Ties, Weaponization Fund in Attorney General Confirmation Hearing
During Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing to be attorney general, Democrats focused heavily on his ties to President Donald Trump as his personal lawyer and on Jeffrey Epstein cases. Jeffrey Epstein, who died in a New York prison cell in 2019 after an arrest for federal trafficking charges, had connections with high-profile people including Trump and...
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