▶ 0:15:47Senator: Well, everybody, to this hearing. When we consider todd blanche's nomination to serve as the 88th attorney general of the united states, congratulations, Mr. blanche, on your appointment.
▶ 0:16:04Hon. Blanche: Thank you, chairman.
▶ 0:16:06Chair Grassley: These are the ground rules for this meeting. I will handle this hearing as our committee handle denominations of attorney general bondi and garland. I want everybody to be able to watch their obstruction.
▶ 0:16:28Chair Grassley: If people block the view of those behind them or speak out of turn, it is not fair, it is not considerate. So, officers will immediately be removed, that person or persons. I will give my opening remarks, and then ranking member durbin will give his remarks. Then I will call on the senator to introduce the nominee.
▶ 0:17:00Chair Grassley: Following that introduction, Mr. blanche will provide his opening statement, and then we will turn to questions. Each senator will have 10 minutes to ask questions.
▶ 0:17:20Chair Grassley: My standard approach has been that if you've got one second left as a member of the committee, you can ask your question, but after the question is answered, I will move onto to the next member. Mr. blanche, thank you for being here. As I said before, this is one of the most important offices in our country.
▶ 0:17:52Chair Grassley: You went through a rough senate confirmation over a year ago. So you know all about it. I appreciate that you cooperated with this committee at every step and fulfill their responsibilities in good faith, while simultaneously running the world's largest law firm office. The senate has already judged your fitness for higher office and confirmed you as the department second in command.
▶ 0:18:23Chair Grassley: Today we consider you for promotion, and we are not starting out from a blank slate. You have a track record. My democratic colleagues have relentlessly attacked the department, and you and president trump's leadership, they have called the department "a disgrace." and suggested the agency is broken.
▶ 0:18:57Chair Grassley: 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 was the department stacking up?
▶ 0:19:26Chair Grassley: The answer is for those who care to judge fairly, it is a record of success. The U.S. has the largest murder rate since 1900. The fbi has captured eight of the top 10 most wanted fugitives .
▶ 0:19:47Chair Grassley: Violent crime arrests by the fbi are up 184%, more than 800 49 individuals have been disrupted from conducting terrorist attacks. The atf has seized more than 44,000 illegal firearms. That is not a failure. What about the department's record on illegal drugs?
▶ 0:20:19Chair Grassley: Since january of last year, the dea has made more than 6300 fentanyl arrests. It has seized more than 5000 kilograms of fentanyl powder, 55 million fentanyl pills.
▶ 0:20:50Chair Grassley: 22,000 kilograms of methamphetamine and cocaine. The fentanyl alone amounts to more than 428 million fatal seizures. That is not a failure. And what about protecting children.
▶ 0:21:08Chair Grassley: Our committee has fought for years on a bipartisan basis to protect our nation's children from the horrors of export 2 -- exploitation. Ranking member durbin and I in a bipartisan way are leading landmark legislation, the james t woods act, to tackle that very issue, and, once again, our partners at the justice department have a record of success.
▶ 0:21:37Chair Grassley: The fbi has arrested 2900 child predators and human traffickers. A 70% increase from 20 34, and located more than 6940 child victims. The U.S. marshals have recovered more than 1182 missing children. That does not sound like failure to me.
▶ 0:22:07Chair Grassley: In contrast, the biden administration diverted prosecutors from child sex crime cases on january 6 cases. That is unbelievable. My democratic colleagues have criticized the justice department for a lack of transparency.
▶ 0:22:28Chair Grassley: I've been critical, as well, as I am with every administration, whoever occupies the oval office, when we don't get that cooperation. No one cares more about oversight than I do. In all my years of congressional oversight, this department has been the most responsive to my requests.
▶ 0:22:54Chair Grassley: That means every republican or democrat administration previous to this one, and the numbers back this up. Since january of last year, the department has produced roughly 43,000 pages of records in response to requests from the senate and the house.
▶ 0:23:14Chair Grassley: To put that in perspective, that is approximately three times the number of records produced in an equivalent time by the biden justice department. The department has also released more than three and 3/10 records of additional pages with more every day.
▶ 0:23:38Chair Grassley: Their work is not done, and I expect continued responsiveness, as well, the very important thing of declassification, but credit should be given where credit is due. A few more successes. They have established the national fraud enforcement to address more than five billion dollars of fraud against american taxpayers.
▶ 0:24:06Chair Grassley: They have reduced the immigration case log by more than 468,000. They have challenged and eliminated racists and unlawful discrimination government and the private sector.
▶ 0:24:20Chair Grassley: They are exposing and redressing the biden era of the department of political opponents, they have captured and are prosecuting nicolas maduro is related to narco terrorism. The list goes on. This department is keeping americans safe and the numbers back that up. Mr.
▶ 0:24:47Chair Grassley: Blanche, you should take pride in delivering the law enforcement promise the american people voted for in 2020. But at the hearing today, we might expect the opposite. My democratic colleagues will talk about -- they will not talk about these successes.
▶ 0:25:10Chair Grassley: I expect the same playbook we have seen for nearly everyone a president trump's nominees, pure partisan obstruction and partisan attack. This approach is the same one that we have seen over and over. In fact, it has become such a pattern that I will just quote myself from a speech I delivered almost a year ago regarding another nominee.
▶ 0:25:38Chair Grassley: Last july, I said "since the very beginning of this congress, democrats have engaged in relentless obstruction campaign for nearly everyone of president trump's nominees. There playbook has included maximum procedural obstruction, unfair media attacks, repeated attempts to alleged misconduct and demands for delayed consideration records and investigations like clockwork.
▶ 0:26:10Chair Grassley: Just before a hearing or a vote, we get another breathless accusation that one of president trump's nominees needs to be investigated." that is the end of my quote of last january. So here we are again, just like clockwork. The democrats and their media allies and mass networks have launched the expected crusade against your nomination. To be clear, there are fair questions for Mr. blanche. I don't agree with how Mr.
▶ 0:26:42Chair Grassley: Blanche the justice department handled every matter, and I have demanded answers and will continue to do so, but many of the criticisms in recent days just completely missed the mark, and I will give one example. We have seen a coordinated campaign from former justice department employees opposing Mr. blanche's nomination.
▶ 0:27:05Chair Grassley: My democratic colleagues in the partisan media have publicized, framing the signatories as a group of nonpartisan "career civil servants." of course, they failed to mention in that letter, it was coordinated by the same group that engaged in partisan or misleading campaigns opposing the judge's nomination.
▶ 0:27:32Chair Grassley: They also don't mention that the letter's signatures include a who who of partisan accolades, including former chicago mayor lightfoot and jack smith's products -- partisan prosecutors, jp cooney, gas, and david rhody. And they certainly do not mention that Mr.
▶ 0:27:54Chair Grassley: Blanche has received letters of support from organizations representing more than 600,000 law enforcement officers, 23 attorney generals, and scores of justice department officials.
▶ 0:28:11Chair Grassley: So, from my vantage point, if the people who engaged in the worst partisan law unfair this country has ever seen have a problem with todd blanche, that is a good thing, in my book. And sure a sunrise, today, some of my democratic colleagues will tell us that Mr. blanche is a uniquely terrible nominee.
▶ 0:28:41Chair Grassley: Before they do so, however, I urge you to remember the boy who cried wolf, and take a long look in the mirror before lecturing anyone about partisanship at the justice department. So I have one more subject. I would like to discuss developments in my and senator johnson, jack smith investigation.
▶ 0:29:07Chair Grassley: Smith subpoenaed the national archives june, 2020 three. That subpoena sought text messages from cell phones connected to trump's white house staffers. The date range, for the record, was october 1, 2020, to january 20, 2020 one.
▶ 0:29:32Chair Grassley: The archives than general counsel, jerry stern, emailed thomas windham, one of smith's deputies, on august 21st, 22 83, at 12:19 p.m. That email said the records were ready.
▶ 0:29:55Chair Grassley: On august 21, the same day, 2023 , just 20 seconds later, windham had already downloaded the text, and shortly after that, other doj and personnel involved in the case did, as well.
▶ 0:30:15Chair Grassley: Whistleblowers told my office that smith did not pass these records to the team, and you can see in 20 minutes in time, that that team was already on the case. The justice department has confirmed that fact and left the committee to "special consuls investigative team come cope by passing the older teen and directly access to these text messages, end of quote.
▶ 0:30:47Chair Grassley: The doj letter to the committee also said "the special consuls office had previously been made aware of the risk that records lead to members, many members of congress communications, could raise constitutional questions and might be privileged under the speech and debate clause." that debate clause is a constitutional issue.
▶ 0:31:13Chair Grassley: Even as -- if smith's team had been instructed to look for other privileged information, it would not matter because in this example, it appears a filler team was entirely bypassed. Based on the information provided to the committee, smith's operation cut corners and blew through constitution science instead of respecting them and having been advised about the constitutional problems.
▶ 0:31:44Chair Grassley: The white house message is obtained and reviewed by smith's team, included communications with many senators and representatives. The communications included messages with members on this committee, including the senator. The subject matter of those members communication included core constitutional responsibility, such as congressional legislation resolutions and investigative work.
▶ 0:32:12Chair Grassley: It also included other information, irrelevant to jack smith's case against them citizen trump. Instead of that information, it was intentionally shared. This is another example of how this misguided investigation was not normal and demands further investigation. Jack smith's operating a runaway political training that improperly obtained congressional information.
▶ 0:32:43Chair Grassley: I have requested acting attorney general blanche to allow members to review these records. Senator durbin?
▶ 0:32:49Sen. Durbin: Thank you, Mr. chairman. Mr. blanche, thank you for coming by my office yesterday. I think we both knew going into that meeting that we had strongly held political beliefs on both sides of the table. Yet, we had, I think a respectful exchange, and thank you for coming by. I'm glad you brought staffers with you. My staffers, as well. If there was any misunderstanding of my representation of your marks, you have a chance to correct the record in a few moments.
▶ 0:33:21Sen. Durbin: I will do my best to stick by what I said, and I will ask my staffers to back me up and my memory of years may be different. Thank you for meeting with me yesterday. I want to acknowledge the obvious issue at the dais year, which, next to the chairman, the committee is mourning the loss of our colleague and friend lindsey graham. Former chairman and ranking member of the committee.
▶ 0:33:47Sen. Durbin: I served on the committee with senator graham since he joined the senate in 2003, and I cherish my memories of both our first partners -- first partisan battles and our agreements. He was a trusted friend. My friends and family back home cannot believe it when I say these things. You mean that lindsey graham? Yes, I do. He was a good person, a valuable part of the senate family, and extremely valuable part of this committee. I'm glad that we are honoring him with this memorial today.
▶ 0:34:19Sen. Durbin: Let me say at the outset that the chairman spent several minutes talking about jack smith. I want to make one thing clear about jack smith, who is a special counsel. Months ago, perhaps six months ago, maybe longer, he volunteered to appear before this committee under oath and testify about what he did as special counsel, and answer the questions of the committee.
▶ 0:34:47Sen. Durbin: For reasons I cannot explain, the republican majority does not want to bring jack smith before this committee and have him testify under oath. I continue on a regular basis to take exception to the things he said, did, or allegedly did, but will not bring him before the committee. If they had something they wanted to raise with jack smith, this is where he should be sitting, under oath, and answering questions, and he has volunteered to do it, but they turned him down. Mr.
▶ 0:35:17Sen. Durbin: Chairman, we are here today with an awesome responsibility of choosing the next attorney general of the U.S., we are here because there's a vacancy. The president decided to fire the predecessor, Mr. blanche, after just 14 months on the job, after courts and grand juries blocked her from prosecuting the president's political opponents.
▶ 0:35:45Sen. Durbin: Seemingly, president trump believes you, Mr. blanche, will be more successful. You were first nominated to be attorney deputy general, democrats raised concerns about the president's personal attorney serving at the top attorney in the justice department. The attorney general is the chief law enforcement officer of the united states of america. Since you are confirmed, the department of justice has literally violated dozens of court orders to advance the president's agenda.
▶ 0:36:16Sen. Durbin: Last year, you declare that the justice department was "at war with the federal judiciary." I put that up to you yesterday. I believe all of us, both sides of the table, need to be more careful with our rhetoric when it comes to the judiciary. Yesterday we had the testimony of justices kagan and barrett, and they talked about the impact on them personally and on their families with the threats that have been increasingly against them physically.
▶ 0:36:45Sen. Durbin: Most of us on the side of the table know what they're talking about. We have a similar experience. But it is the responsibility of all of us, democrats and republicans, liberals and conservatives, in and around the government, be careful with what we say about the judiciary. They are doing their job. We should never, ever account for violence on either side. One of your official actions as acting attorney general, Mr.
▶ 0:37:14Sen. Durbin: Blanche, was to establish the $2 billion weaponization or slush fund to benefit january 6 while immunizing president trump from irs liability. You defended the slush fund by claiming "people have hurt, people who hurt police get money all the time. So despite were sounding bipartisan criticism, admitting that it was a mistake, you have refused to rescind the order creating this fund.
▶ 0:37:44Sen. Durbin: That order can still be found on the department of justice's website today. You talked about this yesterday in my office. I did not quite understand your explanation. I gave you a chance to explain that, but you said it was up to congress to codify the elimination of this fund. This was a creation of the executive branch. It was not a creation of congress. So I hope you will clarify that statement.
▶ 0:38:12Sen. Durbin: Earlier this week, a federal judge characterized your explanation of a settlement that led to this fund "that is at best misleading and disingenuous." you told me it was a "hit piece on you," another troubling attack on a judge for doing their job. And then there is the cover-up of the epstein files. Which former attorney general bondi herself said you were caught in the charge of.
▶ 0:38:39Sen. Durbin: Under her leadership, more than 1000 fbi personnel were pulled off of other priorities and directed to flag epstein records for any mentions of president trump. When scrutiny of the cover-up intensified, you participated in meetings at the white house situation room to strategize about how to protect president trump, not epstein survivors, the president.
▶ 0:39:03Sen. Durbin: When congress forced the administration to release the piles, hundreds of survivors personal information was unredacted, victimizing them again. Meanwhile, the names of powerful epstein allies remained protected in clear violation of the epstein files transparency act. Your explanation "it isn't a crime to party with Mr. epstein." Mr. blanche, these survivors deserve much better. I want to recognize many who are in the audience today.
▶ 0:39:34Sen. Durbin: I thank them for their courage in speaking out. Tomorrow we will hear one of them during our outside witness panel. I would like to enter into the record six letters from epstein survivors in opposition to the blanche nomination.
▶ 0:39:49Chair Grassley: Chair grassley: without objection, and so ordered.
▶ 0:39:50Sen. Durbin: I'm asking you today before you leave this room, to agree to meet with these epstein survivors personally, and to bring with you professionals from the department of justice to hear them out. They had the courage to tell their story. They should at least hear from their government that they take it seriously.
▶ 0:40:11Sen. Durbin: After your interview with convicted sex trafficker glenn maxwell, and attempts, I believe, to exonerate president trump, miss maxwell was transferred to a minimum security cap. That is unheard of for offenders like her. You said it was for her own personal safety. I hope you will explain that today. You told me yesterday you wanted to be attorney general because you love the department of justice and you love prosecutors. But you have removed from the department some of the most effective prosecutors that have ever served our government.
▶ 0:40:44Sen. Durbin: Done that for personal reasons, perjury career, law enforcement officials who will not prioritize president trump's interest over their oath to the constitution. You fired the attorney because she would not sign off on restoring gun rights to convicted domestic abuser mel gibson, personal friend of president trump.
▶ 0:41:05Sen. Durbin: You fired career immigration litigator for refusing to follow unethical orders from your former law partner, and other senior doj official, to lie to a federal court. You bragged about firing law enforcement professionals simply because they were assigned to investigate the president's criminal misconduct, including fbi agent who specializes in investigating threats from foreign adversaries like iran.
▶ 0:41:34Sen. Durbin: More than 1200 former career doj employees, who worked for both republican and democratic administrations, sent this committee a letter opposing your nomination because you have purged doj of thousands of experienced law enforcement officials, putting our nation security at risk. I would like to enter this letter into the record with consent.
▶ 0:41:54Chair Grassley: Without objection, so ordered.
▶ 0:41:58Sen. Durbin: He testified that his general attorney would consult with career ethics officials to avoid conflict of interest. A significant concern since he received nearly $10 million as the president's personal attorney. But you gutted the doj offices that handle ethics and professional responsibility. After the departments top career ethics lawyer advised you to recuse yourself from any matters relating to trump in a personal capacity, that lawyer was fired.
▶ 0:42:29Sen. Durbin: Every smarmy suspect deal in this administration has cryptocurrency behind the curtain. Again, it has happened when it comes to the billion dollar windfall that went to the president's first year in office. Shortly after you were confirmed as deputy attorney general, you issued an order, dismantling doj's crypto enforcement team and shutting down ongoing criminal investigations in the crypto industry.
▶ 0:42:54Sen. Durbin: At the time, you owned at least $159,000 worth of crypto related assets, while you eventually divested those assets and did not go far. You simply transfer them to your children and grandchild. With the crypto enforcement unit out of the way, president trump pardoned $1.4 billion from his family's cryptocurrency business in 2025 alone. Take one example of the deal in the administration.
▶ 0:43:25Sen. Durbin: In april 20 24, the founder of the crypto company was sentenced to prison and ordered to pay $50 million fine for money laundering schemes. $50 million fine. He then brokered a deal and channeled to billion dollars into the trump families crypto business, world liberty finance. After which president trump pardoned it.
▶ 0:43:51Sen. Durbin: Finance accounts funneled $1.7 billion to iranian entities linked to terrorism. Liberty financial continues to partner with the company, even with the facts that I have spelled out.
▶ 0:44:07Sen. Durbin: He recently claimed "there is a tenet that the 2020 election was rigged -- "there is a time of evidence that the 20 20 election was rigged to." you should see when nominees appear before this committee, raised their hands, take the oath, and then fielded questions asked by members of the committee.
▶ 0:44:28Sen. Durbin: You will see some of them are people who are judges today at the state level, and have distinguished careers in law, starting to avert their eyes, swarm, and then give bait script, which does not acknowledge the obvious. Donald trump lost the 2020 election by 7 million popular votes. 7 million votes, and he lost by that number. That is a fact.
▶ 0:44:56Sen. Durbin: Any eighth grader in america knows it and can repeat it for you. Yet, when it comes down to asking trump judicial nominees who won the 2020 election, you see them squirm. What is the reason? The president's big lie. He believes in his heart of hearts that he somehow won that election but he cannot produce any evidence of that fact. Well, we will give you your chance. I hope you will produce the evidence to show one way or another if the big lie is the truth or not the truth.
▶ 0:45:26Sen. Durbin: Your first indictment of former fbi director colby failed in a case brought by lindsey halligan. So now, Mr. comey is being prosecuted for taking pictures of seashells. This prosecution personally ordered by the president, who despises Mr.
▶ 0:45:45Sen. Durbin: Comey, for overseeing the investigation and russian interference in the 2016 election for you have also baselessly indicted the southern poverty law center, the civil rights organization that has worked tirelessly to expose violent extremists like the proud boys and oath keepers, a group with which we in the senate know well for the january 6 escapade. The same people to get a clean slate for their role in attacking the capitol.
▶ 0:46:15Sen. Durbin: A federal judge singled out your "remarkable statements," targeting garcia, that it was "marked by a retaliatory taint for successfully fighting against deportation." despite my repeated requests, you have yet to produce the doj memorandum concluding that it was legally permissible for the president of the united states to accept a gift of a luxury liner from the royal family of qatar, despite
▶ 0:46:46Sen. Durbin: Constitutional and statutory foreign prohibitions. Earlier this month, that jet was launched as air force one, despite credible reports of security vulnerability. Last weekend, the department of justice responded not by addressing the concerns but by sending federal agents with subpoenas to the homes of the reporters who exposed these lapses. Less than 18 months, the department of justice, you have shown you are still president trump's personal attorney.
▶ 0:47:14Sen. Durbin: Your 10 year can be summed up in the four words you said, "I love you, sir," to president trump. This was your response when asked what he would say to him. This nation deserves an attorney general who loves the constitution more than any single president, and attorney general focused on keeping america safe, and combating corruption. Not satisfying the president's personal grievances or channeling crypto cash to the administration's mega faithful. Mr. chairman, I healed.
▶ 0:47:45Sen. Durbin: -- I yield.
▶ 0:47:47Senator: Thank you, Mr. chairman. My goodness. I expect he will be getting a lot of questions on how one person make influence every decision you make, and I hope you say you are absolutely right and it is that granddaughter sitting right behind you. She is the cutest thing I've ever seen. Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here. I had the distinct pleasure of introducing acting attorney general todd blanche.
▶ 0:48:15Senator: He serves and has served as our acting attorney general and our deputy attorney general, and amongst all of the questioning today, most of which I hope is in good faith, sometimes it gets lost that he is a former prosecutor and dedicated his life to prosecuting for this nation. The greatest testament to his good character and wise judgment as he is now a floridian and my constituent. As the newest senator from the great state of florida.
▶ 0:48:46Senator: But he has led a very distinguished career within the ground of the department of justice of which he now seeks to head at the permanent attorney general. Before I go more into that, I want to thank you, Mr. blanche, for offering yourself, not just as deputy attorney general but now is acting attorney general, any of us on either side of the aisle today knows what it means to serve. And what comes with that. And what that takes every day.
▶ 0:49:15Senator: Certainly what that means for your family that stand beside and behind you and sometimes hold you up throughout the process. Thank you. We think your family that is you today. , and we thank your family who is here today. Since president trump took office, and you entered at the department of justice, as you heard our chairman say, you have work to achieve the lowest murder rate since 1900. Violent crime arrests are 180 four percent, gains of criminal enterprises have been dismantled.
▶ 0:49:45Senator: 2900, almost 3000 child predators and human traffickers have been arrested. That is an increase of 70% since 2020 four. And when it comes to fighting for a free america, which we both appeared at a summit this week, even the department are meeting over 6300 fentanyl arrest is used over 500 kilograms affectional powder, 55 million fentanyl kilos, that is fatal dose is enough to kill 428 million people.
▶ 0:50:15Senator: Just so everybody understands, that is more than the population of the united states of america. That is just a few top lining members on core operations at the heart of deirdre's mission. The doj is indeed in the driver seat of the war on fraud. And I hope members on both sides of the dais will give you time to talk about that today. Not only for their consideration of your nomination but also so the american people can hear about that.
▶ 0:50:44Senator: I know that you are in for a long process today, so I want to take my remaining time to talk about you, the person, your career, todd blanche, acting attorney general todd blanche is a patriot raised in the department of justice. He spent nearly a decade and what is recognized as one of the best prosecuting offices in the country, the U.S. attorney's office for the southern district of new york, where he prosecuted drug traffickers in violent criminals. In fact, this career dedicated to justice and the rule of law started before that.
▶ 0:51:15Senator: He started at the department of justice as a paralegal. I love that story. How you started there and you work your way through the ranks, and it was always about hard work. He did not just clock in, clock out, he did really good work. Such good work that he was honored routinely for his commitment to excellence. 2011, while at the U.S. attorney's office for southern district of new york, he received a director's award for superior performance as an assistant U.S. attorney and in the criminal division.
▶ 0:51:43Senator: In 2013, he received a federal drug agent's foundation true american hero award. He received the new york city police department commendation three different years. He received the U.S. drug enforcement commendation two different years and a con that -- and from the fbi two separate years. To round out the collection, he received recognition from the etf.
▶ 0:52:08Senator: I think this is emblematic of a career that was really spent doing the work of the people and trying to do it well, keeping his head down without seeking recognition that he cannot help but get it because of the work, superior performance he was doing. I really think that is an example for anyone watching today, anyone in the audience, and a young person at home, and the young lawyer, do good work, put your head down, you are evidence of that.
▶ 0:52:33Senator: You do good work, you do a job well done, you get noticed for that, and opportunities will seek you out, accommodations will seek you out more than political connections, anything like that. It is that in which people will seek you out to serve. And it may be that job well done that got you recognized by the president of the united states that completely changed your life. Some members will try to hold that against you today.
▶ 0:52:58Senator: They will ignore that long career and every commendation you have received before you ever met or served or acted as attorney for the president. They will ignore those orders and gnash their teeth because they don't like one man. And I believe that misses the mark. It completely ignores the fact that the reason you stepped up to serve is because you love this country.
▶ 0:53:28Senator: You dedicated your career to the department of justice. In fact, you lived out the motto in latin, I will not say the latin because no one will understand that, but I will say the motto of the department of justice is who prosecutes on the half of justice? Not to prosecute on behalf of our political agenda or to target someone? Who prosecutes on behalf of justice. You stood up and took on that responsibility.
▶ 0:53:56Senator: So I hope today's questions will focus on allowing you to explain the legal positions of the department that you have been a part of why you have made certain positions and cases and compliance with orders. All things that might go towards how you perform on behalf of this great nation and the people you serve. How you will excel as attorney general. But I suspect that nuance in good faith will be the price paid for clips on mike's by some members in this room.
▶ 0:54:26Senator: I hope today is an exception. Nonetheless, thank you for stepping up to serve, acting as the attorney general in this time, in which we are seeking for your formal nomination.
▶ 0:54:41Senator: I thank you for being willing to take on not only this nomination process but the job itself because that will be an enormous responsibility, not only to the department of justice and the people that work there, but for the american citizens in this country moving forward. Thank you very much. With that, I introduce Mr. todd blanche.
▶ 0:55:03Chair Grassley: Thank you, senator moody. Will you please stand and respond to this oath? Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you are about to give before this committee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help me god? Thank you for your positive response. Now it is up to you to take what time you want to make a statement and introduce any people you have with you.
▶ 0:55:34Hon. Blanche: Thank you, thank you very much, chairman grassley. And, thank you, senator, for that introduction. I appreciate you and your friendship. Good morning morning, chairman grassley, ranking member durbin, and the other members of the committee. Thank you for having me.
▶ 0:55:57Hon. Blanche: As senator durbin said in a minute ago, I would like to offer each of you my condolences for the loss of your colleague, senator graham was a patriot and a friend to so many of us. It is a loss for the american people, and I think honoring him today, and as he has been honored the past several days is the right thing to do.
▶ 0:56:19Hon. Blanche: 17 months ago, I sat at this table as a nominee to be the attorney deputy general, and I told you that serving in the department of justice was my american dream. Since then, I have helped lead it, now is acting attorney general, and I'm here today to earn your trust once more. I have lived the american dream.
▶ 0:56:44Hon. Blanche: 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 worked days as a paralegal at the U.S. attorney's office. From that start, I became a prosecutor and spent nine years prosecuting violent gangs and drug dealers.
▶ 0:57:09Hon. Blanche: I rose to the ranks of the department of justice as a line prosecutor, then, division chief, and as of last year, deputy attorney general and out acting attorney general, 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'm exceedingly grateful to president trump for his trust, and to my family, who have carried me through every long day and late night.
▶ 0:57:41Hon. Blanche: My wife, christine, our wonderful children, sydney and justin, my granddaughter, blaine, who are here today. All of them are here today. My wonderful friends, many of whom are here today, are really what make this worth it and what gets me through my days. I would like to thank them for not only being here today, supporting me, but also being with me every step of the way and the journey we are on together. My family's blessing should be available to all americans.
▶ 0:58:12Hon. Blanche: When the family can send their kids to school, walked her neighborhood after dark, and build a life without fear, every promise of the american dream is within reach. When they cannot, none of it is. That is my job, securing safety for every american. I'm pleased to testify again today to tell everybody here that we are doing just that. We are keeping america safe.
▶ 0:58:40Hon. Blanche: Since president trump took office, it has been said a few times this morning already but it bears repeating, murders are down roughly 20% nationwide. We have the lowest murder rate since 1900. Violent crime arrests are up nearly 100 14%. We have taken almost 5000 child predators and human traffickers off the streets.
▶ 0:59:07Hon. Blanche: And the department of justice has filed nearly 100,000 indictments and information's since january 20, 2025. Additionally, in just the last four weeks, just the last month, we have paid $96 million in claims to the public safety officers benefits program to eligible surviving families of fallen public safety officers.
▶ 0:59:35Hon. Blanche: Even while fewer law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty than the prior years. And obviously, these are not just numbers. Each one is a family that still has it son or daughter and an officer who came home for dinner.
▶ 0:59:53Hon. Blanche: If you look at washington and memphis as examples, where we have worked with federal, state, and local partners, pulling thousands of criminals off the streets in those two cities, homicides in D.C. are down about 60% and overall crime in memphis declined by 40%.
▶ 1:00:13Hon. Blanche: We have seized thousands of illegal guns, brought more than one hundred 50 missing children home in those two cities and clean of parks and spaces once avoided so you can take your kids and loved ones there once again. We are enforcing our borders. We are prosecuting the smugglers who profited from an open border, removing criminal aliens and dismantling gangs like ms 13 and tba.
▶ 1:00:42Hon. Blanche: We are smashing cartels and ending the scorch of drugs in our communities. We designated the major cartels as foreign terrorist organizations because that is exactly what they are. And we are using every tool unlocked. Dozens of cartel leaders are now in american custody, drug seizures are skyrocketing, and overdose deaths are finally falling.
▶ 1:01:14Hon. Blanche: We are protecting taxpayers. Last year, the department brought just health care fraud take in american history. More than $14 billion, and another $11 billion in total fraud in just the last three months. That is money stolen from medicare, from seniors, working families, and we are clawing at the back.
▶ 1:01:39Hon. Blanche: We are doing all of this, I will add, through partnership, federal agents, state troopers, county sheriffs, local officers, and attorneys general. In your home states, all cooling in the same direction. That is what happens when a fight crime together, and I want to bring that model that we have done in a few towns to more communities in every state. Above all, earn american trust.
▶ 1:02:09Hon. Blanche: In recent years, we watched the justice department turned against many of you and a former president, I did damage the public's faith and justice. We are fixing that. Members of this committee on both sides have her questions about events of the past year, and I welcome them. I'm proud of what we have done to help american families see safer streets and to have a fair shot at the life they are working to build.
▶ 1:02:39Hon. Blanche: None of this is a republican or democrat issue. Every senator here has constituents who just want to be safe. The men and women of this department are the finest people I've 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.
▶ 1:03:08Hon. Blanche: Thank you very much, chairman, for the opportunity to appear before this committee today, and I look forward to answering your questions. Thank you.
▶ 1:03:15Chair Grassley: Thank you for that testimony. We will now have our 10 minute rounds of questioning. I will start, and then the senator from illinois. I have long been concerned about concentration and anticompetitive conduct and health care technology, but particularly in agriculture. Family farmers deserve fair prices.
▶ 1:03:45Chair Grassley: I held a hearing on anticompetitive activities in this committee last october on the subject of agriculture. As I recall, as a result of that hearing, the president issued an executive order, and an investigation was started in your department. And I have since had some pause and that right now.
▶ 1:04:15Chair Grassley: So if confirmed, do you have a commitment that the justice department will make antitrust enforcement priority? And since I think there are not too many people in the justice department who know much about agriculture, with some concentration on agriculture?
▶ 1:04:31Hon. Blanche: Chairman, absolutely. President trump issued an executive order. I have already worked closely with secretary rawlins on this very issue. We recently held a press conference announcing some of the work we are doing to not only deal with the anticompetitive behavior that we have seen, but also to help ease prices in the cattle market around the country. Yes, chairman, I will commit to that.
▶ 1:04:55Chair Grassley: Our committee has received a lot of outrage about the department's litigation position in louisiana versus fda. The plaintiffs in this case, challenged the relaxed regulation governing abortion drugs. Can you tell the committee about this case and explain what the department is doing?
▶ 1:05:17Hon. Blanche: Chairman, first, president trump is the most pro-life president in history. In the work that this department is doing and that's based is something that has not been done for 10 years. For the first time in a decade. Hhs on the fda are actually taking a real look at what is happening with some of these abortion pills and whether they are safe or not.
▶ 1:05:42Hon. Blanche: As it relates to the litigation you referenced, it would be wrong for me to talk about any litigation strategy beyond what is in our briefs, but suffice to say, chairman, that as we talk about in our briefs, we are not in any way defending what biden and what his administration did with what we expect, but beyond that, I do not want to comment on the strategy on that litigation.
▶ 1:06:10Chair Grassley: This committee has received outreach concerning the department's handling of the investigation and release of epstein files and your role in it.
▶ 1:06:25Chair Grassley: Some allegations include problematic reductions, insufficient effort to follow investigative leads, a refusal to meet with victims, and questions regarding the transfer of ghislaine maxwell to a lower security prison. I wanted you to take the opportunity to respond to the allegations. What would you like this committee to know regarding the files?
▶ 1:06:52Hon. Blanche: When president trump signed that epstein transparency act, the department of justice undertook a herculean task to review millions and millions of potentially responsive files. We were required under the desert -- under the statute to do this expeditiously and quickly. The department of justice did so. We reviewed over 6 million pages. Many of these pages were not responsive.
▶ 1:07:19Hon. Blanche: And what I mean by that, we intentionally over collected potentially responsive documents, so, for example, there was a case going on in florida at the same time as the jeffrey epstein case involving another defendant named epstein, having nothing to do with jeffrey epstein. When we collected materials, we collected everything involving epstein, including the epstein that had nothing to do a jeffrey epstein.
▶ 1:07:46Hon. Blanche: So the review of materials included on responsive materials. The reviewers were qualified, experienced attorneys within the department and the fbi. They took pains to apply appropriate reductions or mistakes that were made. So, approximately 1% of the reductions had to be fixed after a release of the epstein files. Chairman, we had dozens of lawyers on call 24/7.
▶ 1:08:18Hon. Blanche: Whenever we learned the victim's names had been improperly not redacted, we immediately took the document down and fixed it as soon as we could. That does not excuse the mistakes of which I take responsibility, but it does mean we try to fix them. We complied with the act. It required us complying with judges rules in new york, which required us to redact certain victim names.
▶ 1:08:43Hon. Blanche: Even if the victim was also somebody who participated in criminal conduct, the judge did not allow, judges in new york do not allow us to un-redact those names. The other thing we did, chairman, we made unredacted versions of the entire database available to everybody in this body, and we did that because of transparency. Remember, for four years, there is not a peep about jeffrey epstein.
▶ 1:09:11Hon. Blanche: The biden administration did nothing to be transparent about the epstein case. We have been extraordinarily transparent and not only producing the records but letting unredacted versions be available to anybody in this body. And if after reviewing a redacted materials, a member had concerns about why something was redacted, they brought them to the department attention and we address that.
▶ 1:09:35Hon. Blanche: So 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, then biden was, or anybody else. And what we did is we complied with the law, and we will most certainly review it and make it available. When it comes to the victims of the horrible man, we will never, never not talk to victims.
▶ 1:10:05Hon. Blanche: 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. Any victim, if they are here today, I would encourage them to meet with their lawyers, we will 100% investigate.
▶ 1:10:36Hon. Blanche: There are no closed investigations. If we learn today, if we learn next week, if we learn next month that there is an individual that we can investigate, indict and prosecute out of the epstein files, you better believe that we will. So we worked hard, hard-working lawyers within the department to do the right thing to comply with the act, and we did, and will continue to do so, chairman.
▶ 1:11:01Chair Grassley: Reviewed congressional information and other sensitive materials, when they should not have, and they were advised not to. Describe the steps you have taken to improve accountability so this egregious and partisan misconduct never happens again.
▶ 1:11:20Hon. Blanche: The biggest thing we can do is be transparent about what happened. That requires us doing a check on ourselves and on the work that happened before us and being transparent with this body and providing records to you. I think with the american people understand and learn what happened, and the egregious abuses that happened, it will be a check on making sure it never happens again.
▶ 1:11:47Hon. Blanche: We strive every day to not only move forward as a department doing the right thing, but to make sure that anything that happened in the past, whether it is releasing emails or admitting to things that we did and the department did that we should not have done, to making just -- to being transparent with the american people about that, that is the best we can do and that is what we are doing.
▶ 1:12:11Chair Grassley: I made messages public with jack smith's law office that appeared to relate to the trump classified document case. Those messages showed government personnel left open a classified facility and potentially mishandled information, causing security violations, while defense counsels stood by. Did the government apprise you of issues?
▶ 1:12:42Chair Grassley: Secondly, did the administration to any investigation into this misconduct?
▶ 1:12:45Hon. Blanche: We were never advised at that time when I was defense counsel of president trump, and I'm not aware of any investigation that was started on march 15 this year, I made public a signed and sworn statement from an fbi official.
▶ 1:13:13Hon. Blanche: That statement says two important things. Special counsel moeller's team lacked a legal basis to pursue a five is the renewal and investigate thomas but did so anyway. What steps have you taken to investigate these very troubled criminal allegations, and if you have not taken any action, why not?
▶ 1:13:38Hon. Blanche: We are investigating that, sir, and it would be inappropriate in this setting to get into the details investigation, but the sworn affidavit that we reviewed that was provided does raise serious allegations, yes.
▶ 1:13:54Chair Grassley: Thank you. Senator durbin.
▶ 1:13:57Sen. Durbin: Thank you. Mr. blanche, I have a few questions I would like to ask. Is it not true congress had to pass a law requiring the trump administration to disclose the epstein files? The epstein files transparency, passed by a bipartisan roll calls in the house and senate, to finally get the files made public?
▶ 1:14:17Hon. Blanche: President trump signed that law.
▶ 1:14:20Sen. Durbin: Of course he did after overwhelming numbers of house and senate members voted for it on a bipartisan basis because the administration would not produce these documents.
▶ 1:14:31Hon. Blanche: That is not true.
▶ 1:14:33Sen. Durbin: What part of it is not true?
▶ 1:14:36Hon. Blanche: We are prohibited by law from producing those documents. You are on the judiciary committee. There are laws that do not allow us to produce the documents which we made plain in numerous court filings. President trump has had from -- president trump said from day one to produce the files, even when he was running.
▶ 1:14:58Sen. Durbin: The links the administration went through to delay production of these documents, to the point where congress did an extraordinary thing, a discharge of motion in the house, on a bipartisan basis, to compel your administration to disclose those documents. The survivors are in the room. There are 10 individuals who were exploited and used by Mr. epstein. They are here today.
▶ 1:15:28Sen. Durbin: None of them have had a chance to speak to anyone in the department or the fbi, although they have asked repeatedly. Can I get your word under oath that within the next 30 days you will personally sit down with these 10 victims and hear their case?
▶ 1:15:44Hon. Blanche: Chairman, I appreciate them being here today. I have somebody from my office who spent her entire career working on cases like Mr. epstein. She is in charge of our task force investigating human trafficking. She is available to talk to them.
▶ 1:16:03Sen. Durbin: She can sit right next to you.
▶ 1:16:05Hon. Blanche: I never said I won't meet with survivors.
▶ 1:16:09Sen. Durbin: Will you meet with these 10 survivors? I am asking for you.
▶ 1:16:13Hon. Blanche: As you know, I am prohibited from interacting with them. I have met with survivors. Many people in the department. But if they are represented by counsel, we will work with their counsel. If they don't have a lawyer, I will make sure the right people in the department --
▶ 1:16:31Sen. Durbin: Will you get it done within the next 30 days?
▶ 1:16:33Hon. Blanche: If that is necessary. My point is if -- that there is somebody here who can meet with them today and get their information.
▶ 1:16:45Sen. Durbin: I think you ought to be in the room because you ought to hear this. You have a singular responsibility for these files. There was a delay in meeting the statutory requirement of disclosure. You were involved with that. I think you ought to be hon.
▶ 1:16:59Blanche: Part of this.
▶ 1:17:00Hon. Blanche: I am definitely part of it and I have been from day one.
▶ 1:17:04Sen. Durbin: And it will be done within the next 30 days?
▶ 1:17:06Hon. Blanche: This could have gotten done last week. We remain available to meet with any victim at any time.
▶ 1:17:14Sen. Durbin: Will you notify the committee when you have done this?
▶ 1:17:20Hon. Blanche: I would be permitted by law when they are talking about an ongoing investigation.
▶ 1:17:26Sen. Durbin: Will you notify the committee?
▶ 1:17:29Hon. Blanche: That is an ongoing investigation.
▶ 1:17:34Sen. Durbin: You are dancing on the head of a pin here. Survivors who have been encouraged to come before this committee, who have the courage to tell their terrible stories. Don't you think it is important that we have a prompt response by our government to these survivors?
▶ 1:17:50Hon. Blanche: Absolutely. There will be a prompt response. For every survivor, for every victim of Mr. epstein -- I would love to prosecute anybody that did any harm to these women.
▶ 1:18:04Sen. Durbin: Will you meet with them in the next 30 days?
▶ 1:18:08Hon. Blanche: I will keep answering at the same way. The staff can meet with them.
▶ 1:18:16Sen. Durbin: Can you meet with them?
▶ 1:18:18Hon. Blanche: I'm not sure what you are looking for me to say.
▶ 1:18:22Sen. Durbin: Yes.
▶ 1:18:23Hon. Blanche: I am not allowing -- allowed to meet with them directly, as you know. I'm sure the fbi, who are experts in this space, prosecutors who are experts in this space, and me if necessary, will absolutely meet with them. I promise you I will stay updated. Everything that has happened with any victim that has information about any other people that worked with epstein, in connection with crimes with epstein, absolutely.
▶ 1:18:52Sen. Durbin: If you were truly committed to extraordinary transparency, I hope you will do this immediately, or we are going to hold you to it. I'm going to ask about the immunity information you signed relative to the responsibility of the president and his family and their businesses when it comes to tax audits.
▶ 1:19:16Sen. Durbin: Would you like to explain how we can give to the president and his family and businesses exemptions for complying with the tax laws of the united states?
▶ 1:19:25Hon. Blanche: It is not an exemption to comply with the tax laws of the united states. It is part of the settlement that passed audits would end.
▶ 1:19:40Sen. Durbin: Your signature. The united states forever discharges each of the plaintiffs when it comes to tax liability. That is how it reads. It is pretty sweeping. You don't feel that is a discharge forever from liability?
▶ 1:19:58Hon. Blanche: Of any past, yes.
▶ 1:20:02Sen. Durbin: It is. How do you explain that? Everybody in this room -- we have to follow the tax laws of the united states. If we don't, we will be held responsible to it to the point of even criminal prosecution. Why did you decide that president trump and his family and their businesses should be exempt from that same responsibility?
▶ 1:20:22Hon. Blanche: As part of the settlement between the irs and president trump and some of his family, two of his sons that run his organization, as is typical, when there is a settlement between plaintiffs and the irs -- part of the settlement included the release of any passed audits.
▶ 1:20:43Hon. Blanche: It does not give any protection to the president and his family or his organizations for any taxes they file if they file them the day after -- the day of the sign the agreement. The day after.
▶ 1:20:56Sen. Durbin: With the violation of tax law, you signed a document that forever discharge them from any legal responsibility.
▶ 1:21:04Hon. Blanche: As part of the settlement, and he passed audits.
▶ 1:21:10Sen. Durbin: How often do you think that has been done in the history of the united states?
▶ 1:21:13Hon. Blanche: I'm not sure exactly. But this type of settlement is done regularly.
▶ 1:21:20Sen. Durbin: You are saying when it comes to the president of the united states, his family and businesses have no responsibility under the tax laws, prior to the signing of this document?
▶ 1:21:32Hon. Blanche: I did not say that at all. President trump and his family -- they had their tax returns illegally taken. That is unique to president trump, yes. But this settlement is not unique to the irs.
▶ 1:21:52Sen. Durbin: So no one is above the law when that type of document was signed by you, forever discharging that family and that president from any liability for violating tax laws?
▶ 1:22:04Hon. Blanche: Nobody is above the law. When we enter a settlement, we do it with all kinds of people. It is not just president trump. It does not make any of those individuals above the law.
▶ 1:22:18Sen. Durbin: Let me ask you about the january 6 rioters. We take a look at some of the people the president pardoned on his first day in office, the ones who attacked this capitol. I will use the word attack because I was here and I saw what happened. Anybody knows what happened. Those pardoned by the president are individuals who have gone on to commit serious crimes against innocent victims across the united states.
▶ 1:22:44Sen. Durbin: You think that blanket pardoned by the president of january 6 was appropriate?
▶ 1:22:48Hon. Blanche: The constitution gives the president the full power to pardon anybody for any use he wants, so I don't question president trump's authority or his decision to do so.
▶ 1:23:02Sen. Durbin: You don't question his decision?
▶ 1:23:04Hon. Blanche: President trump under our constitution, just like president biden, has the authority to pardon anybody for any federal crime. That is the thing that every president -- that is a privilege the president is afforded, including president biden.
▶ 1:23:20Sen. Durbin: Let me tell you he may have had the authority. I think someone should have grabbed him by the arm and said stop. You cannot release all of those rioters. Some of them physically assaulted policeman in the capital. Some of them were guilty of serious crimes before that day. For the president to give a blanket pardoned to these individuals is something that I don't think you can explain to the american people. You certainly cannot explain it to the police who almost lost their lives to these attackers.
▶ 1:23:50Chair Grassley: Before I call senator cornyn, I would like to enter into the record for supporting Mr. blanche commendation from former attorney general john ashcroft. This is a quote from the letter. This rule of law is the best friend of liberty.
▶ 1:24:16Chair Grassley: To safeguard this core value, america needs an attorney general exclusively devoted to the rule of law, who will honor his oath to the constitution. Todd blanche is the right person for that responsibility. His record and credentials undergird my wholehearted support for his nomination. Without objection, that will be entered into the record. Senator cornyn.
▶ 1:24:44Sen. Cornyn: Good morning, Mr. blanche. Congratulations on your nomination. There is a lot to admire about your record of service for our country, and I respect the fact that you want to continue that service. And as the attorney general, as I have told you in my office, I think the attorney general has the hardest job in washington, D.C., because you are at the same time a member of the president's cabinet, subject to dismissal, whenever the
▶ 1:25:15Sen. Cornyn: President wants, for any reason or no reason at all, but you will also have a duty as the chief law enforcement officer of the united states. I think it is a very, very difficult balance. And I want to ask you a little bit about that, particularly in connection with the settlement of the tax case. There is so much that is unusual about this.
▶ 1:25:41Sen. Cornyn: First of all, the fact that the tax returns were leaked by m irs contractor, charles littlejohn, who was appropriately convicted of a crime for doing that. President trump and his family were definitely victims of a crime there.
▶ 1:26:01Sen. Cornyn: But it happened back in 2020, and the lawsuit was not brought until 2026, so with the two-year statute of limitations, it seems to me that that was something I know that was a subject of pleading in the complaint and attempt to avoid the two-year statute of limitation. But that struck me as unusual. But let's talk a little bit about the settlement agreement in the release.
▶ 1:26:29Sen. Cornyn: First of all, I believe you have said that the weaponization fund is a moot issue. Is that your position?
▶ 1:26:37Hon. Blanche: Yes, it is a moot issue, meaning there is no weaponization fund. The fund is dead. It is not moving forward.
▶ 1:26:47Sen. Cornyn: And I would refer you to the settlement agreement. Do you happen to have a copy of that in front of you?
▶ 1:26:51Hon. Blanche: I do not.
▶ 1:26:55Sen. Cornyn: You probably know what is in it.
▶ 1:26:56Hon. Blanche: I'm familiar.
▶ 1:26:59Sen. Cornyn: I'm sure you are. This settlement agreement may be modified only from the written agreement of the parties. Has there been a written agreement of the parties to modify the settlement fund?
▶ 1:27:08Hon. Blanche: No, the settlement fund is just not moving forward. There is no modification. It was never started. No money went from the treasury to any other account. There are no commissioners. It is not moving forward.
▶ 1:27:22Sen. Cornyn: And so the agreement remains as it was originally. What you are saying -- is the settlement agreement enforceable as a contract by the parties?
▶ 1:27:32Hon. Blanche: Well, yes, it is an enforceable document. I suppose if president trump's counsel sought to enforce it, they potentially could.
▶ 1:27:46Sen. Cornyn: Including the weaponization fund.
▶ 1:27:46Hon. Blanche: They could try to enforce the contract. They cannot force the department to move forward with the weaponization fund. They could say I suppose that we breached by not moving forward. They have not done that. I am not aware that they are planning on doing that. Senator -- senator durbin talked about this.
▶ 1:28:08Hon. Blanche: I have talked extensively with you and other colleagues about potentially codifying so there is no weaponization fund, which is certainly something that could be done. I did not mean to insult this body. It is just that in response to questions from senators about what could be done, we are ok with that.
▶ 1:28:28Sen. Cornyn: To be clear, the president of the united states, a plaintiff in this lawsuit, has not agreed in writing to leave the weaponization fund, and there is no guarantee that he or one of the other plaintiffs might raise that issue by way of a lawsuit, a breach of contract lawsuit, in the future.
▶ 1:28:47Hon. Blanche: Senator, the plaintiffs have no power. The fund was administered solely by the five commissioners and the department of justice. They don't have power with respect to the fund at all. I suppose they could bring a lawsuit and we would litigate it. But even if we were litigating it, there is no fund, so the results of such litigation would not be a revival of the fund.
▶ 1:29:13Sen. Cornyn: I want to ask you about the release. I know I am guilty of what a lot of lawyers are guilty of in having a chart you cannot read. But the release on may 19, 2026 -- first of all, does this purport to release parties or people who were not parties to the lawsuit?
▶ 1:29:37Hon. Blanche: No, senator.
▶ 1:29:40Sen. Cornyn: Well, it says here that claims asserted by defendants or any of the plaintiffs or related or affiliated individuals including without limitation family or others filing jointly, or parties including trusts, parent, sister, related countries, affiliates -- they were not party to the lawsuit.
▶ 1:30:03Hon. Blanche: I did not hear everything you just said, senator. But the only parties that had any release with respect to any potential audits even if they existed were the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
▶ 1:30:18Sen. Cornyn: Did you talk to the president about the settlement? He originally sued for $10 billion and settled for an apology and this weaponization fund and the release of future liability for tax audits. Did you discuss it with him?
▶ 1:30:33Hon. Blanche: No, I did not. He had outside counsel. I did not discuss it with his outside counsel either. It was done by other people in the office.
▶ 1:30:43Sen. Cornyn: The lawsuit --
▶ 1:30:46Hon. Blanche: Can I qualify that? When we determined not to move forward, as the president has said, that is the only time that he and I had any conversation about this at all, was after, when it was dead and we said we are not moving forward.
▶ 1:31:04Sen. Cornyn: And this lawsuit was brought against the irs and treasury, get this release purports to apply to defendants or other agencies or departments. So does this release apply to, let's say, an investigation by the security and exchange commission or some other federal agency?
▶ 1:31:26Hon. Blanche: No. That is the standard language we use when we enter into settlements between plaintiffs and the irs. No, it does not bind -- it is issued by me because statutes require an authorizer to do that. In this case, it binds only the irs and by extension the treasury.
▶ 1:31:52Sen. Cornyn: I hear what you are saying but I certainly don't read that in the agreement. I only have a few minutes left. Senator grassley raised an issue of the mifepristone lawsuit. Just to be clear, you understand the difference between the morning after pill and mifepristone, don't you?
▶ 1:32:13Hon. Blanche: Yes.
▶ 1:32:17Sen. Cornyn: Mifepristone is a chemical abortion that can be administered up to 10 weeks of gestation. The length of gestation should be, according to the medical literature, confirmed by ultrasound or clinical assessment by a health care provider. And it is generally safe and effective, according to the literature, when used under medical guidance.
▶ 1:32:43Sen. Cornyn: But the problem is that president biden's administration changed the trump policy and allowed the administration of this chemical abortion drug without any medical guidance whatsoever. As you know, I have written a letter. Senator tillis and I sent a letter yesterday. I would appreciate -- I understand you cannot necessarily talk too much about your litigation strategy in the case of louisiana against fda.
▶ 1:33:14Sen. Cornyn: But I would appreciate if you would respond to this letter for the record about the intentions of the administration. If president trump is the most pro-life president, this ought to be a pretty easy call, because women are hurt as a result of side effects. Heavy bleeding. Prolonged potentially infection or sepsis. Incomplete abortion. Other complications.
▶ 1:33:40Sen. Cornyn: This is being sold through the mail or through online prescription. Will you do that for me?
▶ 1:33:47Hon. Blanche: Yes, senator, I will.
▶ 1:33:53Sen. Cornyn: Finally, let me just go back to the, in the 58 seconds I have, go back to this release. This puts to release l'affaire or weaponization. Those are not legal terms of art, are they?
▶ 1:34:16Hon. Blanche: I think they are legal terms of art.
▶ 1:34:20Sen. Cornyn: Have they been defined in any case or statute?
▶ 1:34:22Hon. Blanche: Not that I'm aware of.
▶ 1:34:26Sen. Cornyn: So they are not a legal term of art.
▶ 1:34:28Hon. Blanche: I think the terms have been used by the legal community and by people within government. But I am not sure they are in black's law dictionary.
▶ 1:34:38Sen. Cornyn: We don't know what that covers.
▶ 1:34:39Hon. Blanche: I think it depends on the circumstance of the facts presented as to what it covers. Sorry.
▶ 1:34:46Sen. Cornyn: Thank you. My time is up. >> thank you very much chair. After both the assassination of melissa goodman, our former speaker of the house, and after the annunciation school shooting, in which 20 people were gunned down through stained-glass windows, federal law enforcement, as you and I discussed a few weeks ago, worked corporately with state and local.
▶ 1:35:18Sen. Cornyn: They work together in the important work going on in the U.S. attorney's office in minnesota with regard to fraud and the ongoing fraud investigation. I know we have your commitment to continue giving resources for that investigation. Is that correct?
▶ 1:35:33Hon. Blanche: Absolutely.
▶ 1:35:37Sen. Klobuchar: Thank you. We also discussed my concern about the lack of cooperation we saw after the horrific killings of renée good and alex pretti, with the federal government refusing to cooperate with state law enforcement for months, blocking minnesota investigators from accessing the scene of alex's death even though they had a judicial warrant.
▶ 1:36:01Sen. Klobuchar: They also failed to secure, according to news reports -- failed to secure and process the scene, failed to process renée good's car for evidence. When we met a few weeks ago, at length I asked you to ensure full cooperation, and I appreciated that the department shared evidence with state investigators early this week.
▶ 1:36:24Sen. Klobuchar: Will you commit to continued information sharing between federal and state investigators in these cases, as well as with regard to the recent shootings in texas and maine?
▶ 1:36:36Hon. Blanche: I expect that these investigations should be run as every investigation of similar kinds. That necessarily includes working with state and locals in the appropriate way. I think that the definition of full cooperation can be disputed. But I very much expect that whether it is the inspector general or the U.S.
▶ 1:36:57Hon. Blanche: Attorney's office or the fbi or who is ever on the federal side of the investigation, where appropriate, to work with state and locals. I think a lot of the news reporting that you referenced is actually not accurate with what has been happening since the unfortunate events of several months ago.
▶ 1:37:16Sen. Klobuchar: That aside, we have seen these recent shootings in maine, and the reaction within the community, understandably concerned, as well as texas. People are going to want accountability in these cases. One of the things that does not get as much attention is the non-death cases. Someone was pickled out of his house and underwear in 10 below weather.
▶ 1:37:45Sen. Klobuchar: Do you agree that it is unacceptable for federal agents to forcibly enter someone's home without a warrant and drag them onto the street without even checking that they have the right person?
▶ 1:37:56Hon. Blanche: That depends on the circumstances, as you know. Obviously, law enforcement agents need a warrant to enter a house, except for limited exceptions to that. So yes, we very much believe in the constitutional protections afforded american citizens. The same protections are not afforded people who are here illegally, so it is not a black-and-white answer where I can say yes or no.
▶ 1:38:25Hon. Blanche: Yes, I very much expect the law to be followed by law enforcement agents.
▶ 1:38:29Sen. Klobuchar: Since the civil war, federal law has made it clear that the president does not have the authority to deploy armed federal officials to election sites. Will you commit to following clear federal law and not deploying federal agents to polling locations?
▶ 1:38:45Hon. Blanche: I will commit to following the law, of course.
▶ 1:38:50Sen. Klobuchar: Does that include not deploying federal agents to polling places?
▶ 1:38:53Hon. Blanche: I will absolutely follow the law no matter what it includes, yes.
▶ 1:38:59Sen. Klobuchar: Do you understand why voters, U.S. citizens, are concerned about armed agents at polling places?
▶ 1:39:06Hon. Blanche: I am not aware of armed agents being aptly places. I am not aware of that concern. I will tell you we will follow the law.
▶ 1:39:16Sen. Klobuchar: The doj has carried out a campaign to push states to turn over voters' sensitive and private data to the administration. 30 states, including republican-lead states like georgia and west virginia, have refused. In doing so, the west virginia and republican secretary of state said I will not break the law, give up our state's rights, or compromise the privacy of our citizens.
▶ 1:39:43Sen. Klobuchar: 15 federal courts, in decisions from democratic and republican appointed judges, have all found that these actions to force the states to turn over this data is unlawful. Could you discuss how cutting off antiterrorism funding to states that refuse something that 15 federal courts have found to be illegal enhances our national security?
▶ 1:40:10Hon. Blanche: Those cases are still being litigated, so I cannot talk specifically about the cases you mentioned. Overall, but I will say, senator, is that election integrity is extraordinarily important to this administration. It is important to this body. To the extent that the work we are doing is to make sure that we have fair and honest elections, that the only people voting are the people who are eligible to vote, and that they are only voting once -- that is important.
▶ 1:40:43Sen. Klobuchar: How to stopping the long-standing practice of critical information sharing and scenario planning between doj, other federal agencies, and state and local election officials promote election security? We have heard from our own secretary of state, steve simon, that the standard briefings trainings have not happened.
▶ 1:41:03Hon. Blanche: We are not doing that. So I'm not sure. I am happy to follow up with your office.
▶ 1:41:12Sen. Klobuchar: Appreciate that. You and I talked about some of the antitrust concerns I have, the independence of the department. I was very concerned by the department's settlement of the monopoly ship -- monopolization suit against live nation ticketmaster. Do you believe that this settlement was good for consumers?
▶ 1:41:34Sen. Klobuchar: If so, why didn't -- there was another case, of course, that the state attorney general's brought, that is going to result in much better protections for consumers. Why didn't the doj join them and stay in that suit?
▶ 1:41:48Hon. Blanche: I share your concerns and yes I do believe that settlement was good for consumers. The american people got a lot out of that settlement with live nation. You took about another case that is separate. That is ongoing litigation that could potentially take years to resolve. When we make a decision as a department to settle a case, we are only thinking about the american consumer and making sure we are complaining not only with the laws.
▶ 1:42:17Sen. Klobuchar: Did the white house have any involvement in that decision?
▶ 1:42:20Hon. Blanche: Regarding which case question mark Sen.
▶ 1:42:24Klobuchar: To settle the ticketmaster case.
▶ 1:42:25Hon. Blanche: We work at times closely with the white house counsel on certain issues. I am sure that -- I was not directly part of discussions. So I cannot speak to that. I will say they are not part of it.
▶ 1:42:43Sen. Klobuchar: Are you concerned that a former republican deputy assistant attorney general, who has appeared before this committee as a republican witness in the past, has said that in your department, antitrust cases are being resolved based on political connections, not the legal merits?
▶ 1:43:01Hon. Blanche: His words don't concern me because they are not true.
▶ 1:43:08Sen. Klobuchar: A lot of us disagree on that front. I want to turn to some number of issues involving security. In the wake of the shooting last year, annunciation catholic school was approved to receive funding through the office for victims of crime for mental health and other support services. I appreciate that the department has worked closely with the annunciation community on this issue. But the delays in releasing these funds are creating budget concerns.
▶ 1:43:37Sen. Klobuchar: Could you commit to work with me on getting those funds to the school?
▶ 1:43:40Hon. Blanche: Yes, absolutely.
▶ 1:43:44Sen. Klobuchar: Thank you. The president's most recent budget releases funding by more than $500 million, eliminates a stop school violence program that I championed with senator hatch -- she was the lead on it. Are you concerned that cutting this funding will impact school safety?
▶ 1:44:01Hon. Blanche: No. I understand the question. I fully expect that the grants that ultimately are included in the budget that is passed -- we will make sure we are providing appropriate funds to our communities so they can continue the good work.
▶ 1:44:17Sen. Klobuchar: I have concerns -- I have heard about this from several law enforcement and domestic violence groups -- about the doj plan to consolidate several programs including the office on violence against women. Why do you think this will be helpful? We believe that they have very different functions.
▶ 1:44:38Hon. Blanche: I agree with you. That is not what we are doing. There will be three separate functions. What we are doing is consolidating above them to one group, so the application process is smoother and easier for grantees to do their work, and so that internally some of the bureaucracy that was involved in having three separate bureaucratic streams doing the same work, even though, you are right, the underlying programs serve different functions, was not efficient. We are making that efficient.
▶ 1:45:09Sen. Klobuchar: I will follow-up with you with some of the domestic violence grants. I want to mention the continued enforcement under the take it down act that senator cruz and I passed, and how important that is for people.
▶ 1:45:21Chair Grassley: Before I go to senator kennedy, I would like to read a letter supporting the nominee from the national association of peace organizations. -- police organizations. 250 thousand law enforcement officers nationwide are represented by this letter. Mr.
▶ 1:45:43Chair Grassley: Blanche has proven his commitment to rule of law and a fair and impartial justice system. As deputy attorney general and later acting attorney general, he has built a strong partisanship with law enforcement, the enforcement community, from supporting the department of justice law enforcement assistance grant programs to working to ensure accountability within the public safety officers benefits program.
▶ 1:46:13Chair Grassley: He is considered -- he has consistently endeavored to meet the needs of state and local law enforcement officers and their families. Without objection, it will be entered in. Senator kennedy.
▶ 1:46:38Sen. Kennedy: General, I assume that you consider yourself to be qualified to be permanent attorney general. Is that right? I have read your resume. We all have. You don't need to comment on this. It seems to me that no fair-minded person would conclude that you are not qualified. You spent a long time with the department.
▶ 1:47:07Sen. Kennedy: He spent a long time in private practice. So the opposition of my democratic friends must be based on something else. Are you and president trump friends?
▶ 1:47:23Hon. Blanche: I am his lawyer. I was his lawyer. Now I am the deputy attorney general. I met him as his criminal defense attorney. I am not sure there are many people who have had a criminal defense attorney who calls that person their friend. I now have a --
▶ 1:47:41Sen. Kennedy: Let me put it this way. Are you enemies?
▶ 1:47:44Hon. Blanche: We are not enemies at all, no.
▶ 1:47:49Sen. Kennedy: And you have not seen a president of the united states appoint an enemy to be attorney general.
▶ 1:47:57Hon. Blanche: I have not.
▶ 1:48:01Sen. Kennedy: Usually, they appoint their qualified friends, don't they?
▶ 1:48:04Hon. Blanche: Yes.
▶ 1:48:07Sen. Kennedy: One president appointed his brother, right? And I can think of another president who appointed his former law partner. Is that right? Are you responsible for all the president's decisions?
▶ 1:48:28Hon. Blanche: No, I'm not.
▶ 1:48:32Sen. Kennedy: Does the president get up in the morning and give you a call first thing to say, todd, tell me what I ought to do?
▶ 1:48:41Hon. Blanche: He does not.
▶ 1:48:45Sen. Kennedy: Does he ever ask your opinion on actions he should take?
▶ 1:48:48Hon. Blanche: Yes.
▶ 1:48:52Sen. Kennedy: Do you tell him the truth?
▶ 1:48:52Hon. Blanche: Every time.
▶ 1:48:56Sen. Kennedy: Have you ever disagreed with him?
▶ 1:48:57Hon. Blanche: Yes.
▶ 1:49:00Sen. Kennedy: Have you ever disagreed with him and he did it anyway? >> yes.
▶ 1:49:06Hon. Blanche: And did you go call a press conference and announce the president made a bad decision? That is not what attorneys generally do. Has he ever asked you to do anything illegal. Would you do it if he asked you?
▶ 1:49:28Hon. Blanche: Absolutely not.
▶ 1:49:42Sen. Kennedy: How many pages of the so-called epstein files has the department released?
▶ 1:49:49Hon. Blanche: Nearly 3 million.
▶ 1:49:54Senator Kennedy: How many more pages are there?
▶ 1:49:56Hon. Blanche: That are responsive? We are not aware of any.
▶ 1:50:01Sen. Kennedy: How many in the department's opinion are not responsive?
▶ 1:50:08Hon. Blanche: About 3 million that were nothing to do with jeffrey epstein or the case.
▶ 1:50:15Sen. Kennedy: Why don't you just release everything, let it rip?
▶ 1:50:17Hon. Blanche: That would be against the law. The only reason we could release what we did was because of the epstein transparency act. There are federal laws that prohibit the release of case files. The epstein transparency act was explicit and specific about what could and should be released.
▶ 1:50:38Sen. Kennedy: Other than to himself -- we can agree, it can we not, that Mr. epstein was a pig.
▶ 1:50:44Hon. Blanche: Yes.
▶ 1:50:47Sen. Kennedy: Other than to himself, who, if anyone else, would Mr. epstein traffic young women to?
▶ 1:50:59Hon. Blanche: From what we learned, from what we know -- what is in the fbi files and what is in the doj files -- we did not identify evidence -- and I mean career prosecutors. Not me. Not my leadership. Career prosecutors in new york and in florida who worked this case hard.
▶ 1:51:25Hon. Blanche: We did identify other participants, some of whom, as has been discussed, were also victims themselves of Mr. epstein. But we did not have evidence as of now of other men who -- that epstein helped traffic. That does not mean it did not happen. I want to be clear about that.
▶ 1:51:49Hon. Blanche: It means we have evidence the fbi gathered and the department of justice gathered, and that is the body of work that we have to work with, which is why I said earlier if there is anybody out there, victim or otherwise, that has information, I beg him to come forward.
▶ 1:52:06Sen. Kennedy: Did jack smith read my emails?
▶ 1:52:14Hon. Blanche: I'm not sure, senator. I don't know.
▶ 1:52:18Sen. Kennedy: Will you check for me?
▶ 1:52:19Hon. Blanche: We will check, senator, yes.
▶ 1:52:25Hon. Blanche: -- Sen. kennedy: I think he read senator grassley's emails. How can someone at the department of justice get senator grassley's emails without probable cause?
▶ 1:52:41Hon. Blanche: There are checks in place that should make it extraordinarily difficult for a prosecutor to collect and review a senator's emails, or a congressman, or a lawyer, or other folks that have privileged protections associated with their communications. Those checks and balances should always be used.
▶ 1:53:05Sen. Kennedy: But Mr. smith just ignored them?
▶ 1:53:06Hon. Blanche: I cannot speak for Mr. smith, senator.
▶ 1:53:11Sen. Kennedy: Will you check for me first if he read my emails, and number two, how he got them? And number 3 -- I don't mean to single out my friend, senator grassley. But what emails did he get of senator grassley? I mean, what were they limited to, if at all?
▶ 1:53:41Sen. Kennedy: Was it emails of senator grassley talking about his corn harvest and all of that? And who did he share him -- share them with? Do you know if Mr. smith shared my emails with attorney general barr?
▶ 1:53:53Hon. Blanche: I do not know.
▶ 1:53:56Sen. Kennedy: Can you check for us?
▶ 1:53:57Hon. Blanche: We are investigating that, yes.
▶ 1:54:03Sen. Kennedy: Mayor lori lightfoot sent us -- she sent the world a letter, suggesting that we should not confirm you as attorney general. Who is mayor lori lightfoot, for the record?
▶ 1:54:21Hon. Blanche: She is the former mayor of chicago. I believe she had a brief stint in the department of justice prior to her political life.
▶ 1:54:38Sen. Kennedy: And you have some conflicts with her.
▶ 1:54:41Hon. Blanche: I do not believe she supports our efforts making america safe again.
▶ 1:54:49Sen. Kennedy: She thinks cops are a bigger problem than criminals. With that b --
▶ 1:54:53Hon. Blanche: Her public record is not something that either myself or this administration supports, which is to always pack our law enforcement.
▶ 1:55:04Sen. Kennedy: She thinks if a cop shoots a criminal, it is automatically the cop's fault, but if a criminal shoots a cop, it is automatically the gun's fault.
▶ 1:55:16Hon. Blanche: Her public statements suggest that.
▶ 1:55:23Sen. Kennedy: Would you put her even in charge of a ham sandwich?
▶ 1:55:29Hon. Blanche: I don't see it -- I don't believe she should be part of this administration.
▶ 1:55:35Sen. Kennedy: She ran for election and got 16% of the vote. Is that right? Do you recall?
▶ 1:55:44Hon. Blanche: I'm not sure what percentage she got, senator.
▶ 1:55:52Sen. Kennedy: Tell me a little bit -- one of the things that under your -- under your authority at the department, that the department has concentrated on, which I agree with, is the prosecution of white-collar crime, fraud. Tell me a little bit about that.
▶ 1:56:14Hon. Blanche: It is incredible since covid, the absolute thievery that has happened from the fisk by people in this country. We have focused tremendous efforts at every U.S. attorney's office, with every inspector general and their offices, the fbi, dhs, and hsi, to root out this fraud, with examples of individuals rampant -- just stealing.
▶ 1:56:42Hon. Blanche: Setting up entire centers for autism when there are no patients, when there is no center, and taking millions of dollars of hard earned taxpayers money. We are very focused on that. Billions and billions we have already collected in the past couple of months. That effort is going to go forward for as long as I am in the position I am in now, no matter whether I am confirmed or not. And it is extraordinarily important to every american that this does not happen.
▶ 1:57:13Hon. Blanche: We're not talking about whether someone agrees or disagrees with a policy. It is just outright theft by individuals, and unfortunately many state governments, if they did not absolutely know it was happening and encourage it, they certainly stood idly by, which is a problem.
▶ 1:57:34Sen. Kennedy: Don't forget to check on my emails, thank you.
▶ 1:57:38Sen. Whitehouse: Good morning, Mr. blanche. Why won't you tell us what became of the $50,000 in confidential money that the fbi reported that it gave to tom homan?
▶ 1:57:53Hon. Blanche: I'm not aware of what you are speaking about. To the extent that there has been public reporting about an investigation, I know nothing about it.
▶ 1:58:04Sen. Whitehouse: The public reporting is that the fbi reported giving $50,000 in the nature of a bribe to tom homan, and there has been no report what became of that $50,000. Will you answer that question? I hope that when you answer that question that we have been asking for a long time now -- the department certainly knows what is happening.
▶ 1:58:22Hon. Blanche: I am not aware that that is true.
▶ 1:58:28Sen. Whitehouse: Take a look at it. It is publicly reported and the fbi reported it and you should ask some questions. That is not the only one. It is a list of unanswered questions that I have just asked. I don't know how it is that the chairman thinks that you have cooperated with the committee or that you have been transparent with the committee. That is not my experience. You said earlier that you welcome your questions.
▶ 1:58:58Sen. Whitehouse: Great. Answer our questions. That is the real point. We have failed to get answers to our oversight questions. We have actually had to revert to the freedom of information act, a general law of government transparency, to try to get answers from the department of justice. Here is how we did. Not well.
▶ 1:59:23Sen. Whitehouse: We have this stack of questions that you have not answered in the nature of oversight. We have this stack of foia requests that you have not answered.
▶ 1:59:38Sen. Whitehouse: And I think it is important for us to believe that you actually take seriously your constitutional oversight responsibilities in order to confirm you, that you actually take seriously obligations to this committee, irrespective of party majority or minority, in order to confirm you. I will ask before we get to a vote on this that you take a look at these and get us answers. Where we have had answers, they have not been informative.
▶ 2:00:09Sen. Whitehouse: They have been blow offs. So let's move on to trump versus irs. Our research indicates that senior doj officials have never in the history of the department before faced a judicial inquiry into a fraud on the part participated in by the department of justice.
▶ 2:00:41Sen. Whitehouse: The question about fraud on the court committed by the department of justice remains open and the judge's decision in florida. Here is what she did find. She found that the department of justice colluded with the trump plaintiff's, that the department of justice violated doj policies and that collusion, the department attorneys were derelict in their responsibilities as doj
▶ 2:01:13Sen. Whitehouse: Attorneys, that the department failed to zealously advocate on behalf of the united states of america, its true client, and, as I said, the fraud element remains open. Unprecedented allegation about the department. As a result of that, the order was transmitted to the new york state bar for potential disciplinary proceedings.
▶ 2:01:42Sen. Whitehouse: I would like to ask, since this is new news -- the decision was two days ago. I would like to ask that you say to us you would be willing to provide all of the documents and communications from the department of justice and the trump plaintiff's in that matter.
▶ 2:02:02Hon. Blanche: I am not aware of any communications. I did not have any. If you put a request in, we will look at it. That is active continued litigation in the southern district of florida. So it depends on --
▶ 2:02:18Sen. Whitehouse: Explain how it is active continued litigation in florida.
▶ 2:02:24Hon. Blanche: There have been several -- I never entered notice of appearance with the parties intending to file the appeal. The judge's monday 56 page decision.
▶ 2:02:40Sen. Whitehouse: Do you intend to appeal the department of justice?
▶ 2:02:45Hon. Blanche: To the extent there is something we can appeal, I vigorously will encourage the department to do so.
▶ 2:02:52Sen. Whitehouse: Here is the tell. In that case, the department of justice filed no answer, filed no agreement with respect to the extension of time. Filed no response to the case of controversy and mckee -- amici. Filed no withdrawal, no settlement, and no response to the fraud on the court inquiry.
▶ 2:03:19Sen. Whitehouse: To me as a one time litigator, that looks like really weird behavior. And when for the first time in history there is inquiry into fraud committed by the department of justice the silence in response to that is deafening, Mr. blanche. Deafening.
▶ 2:03:40Sen. Whitehouse: And it strikes me that the stratagem here was to file no pleadings, to try to keep the department out of the authority of the court, when what the department knew to be a collusive and false enterprise was blown up in that court. It did not work because the court found collusion, and it takes two to collude.
▶ 2:04:07Sen. Whitehouse: And they went on and made the other adverse findings about the department's conduct. The problem here, Mr. blanche, is that it is not just that one occasion. Between judges appointed by every president harshly criticizing the department's work in your tenure, grand jury's rejecting indictments, judicial findings of outright misconduct, capable lawyers fleeing the stinking ship, this seems to be the most troubled
▶ 2:04:39Sen. Whitehouse: Department of justice in history. Here are some of the misconduct findings against three U.S. attorneys, and here is a word cloud of the commentary by federal judges about the conduct of your doj. These are red flag words that when I was a U.S.
▶ 2:04:59Sen. Whitehouse: Attorney would have provoked at minimum and internal conversation about what the hell went wrong, and very likely a conversation with opr, and maybe opr proceedings. Words like pretext mean a lot coming from a judge about a government argument, usually enjoying the presumption of regularity. We need answers. I need you to be able to tell me that this kind of misconduct is going to stop if you are confirmed as attorney general.
▶ 2:05:29Sen. Whitehouse: Can you say that?
▶ 2:05:31Hon. Blanche: The department of justice works hard. The prosecutors work hard every day. I appreciate the hand-picked words you have behind you right now, but that is not reflective of the 100,000 indictments and information's that have been filed to do the work that I talked about earlier today.
▶ 2:05:51Hon. Blanche: So while cherry picking a few isolated words from district court or magistrate judges in certain districts is something you are entitled to do, it is absolutely false to suggest this department of justice is not executing as we should and doing the right thing every single day.
▶ 2:06:09Sen. Whitehouse: I will tell you that you are wrong. In the history of the department, this kind of criticism from judges is unprecedented, and it comes from judges of every different political persuasion. Let me ask about the fbi. How long do you intend to put up with that kash patel character? Are you good with his airplane jaunts? Are you confident he is not drinking on the job?
▶ 2:06:39Sen. Whitehouse: Are you sure none of his travel is a pretext for vacation opportunities like snorkeling, olympics, and visiting girlfriends? Are you sure he knows what he is doing? Do you vouch for him? Are you willing to look at whether he lied to this committee?
▶ 2:06:54Hon. Blanche: That is an extraordinary -- extorted nearly obnoxious question. I have faith in patel and the work he is doing every day.
▶ 2:07:03Sen. Whitehouse: Great. You get to own that. The last thing, if I may. You have refused to exclude january 6 writers from your anti-weaponization fund. You have refused to put in writing that the slush fund is dead. Indeed, you've signaled to allies that payouts are still on track. You have vacated seditious conspiracy convictions against members of the proud boys and oath keepers. You hired a january 6 rider and -- you urged a mob to kill police officers.
▶ 2:07:33Sen. Whitehouse: You scrubbed press releases about january 6 prosecutions and called the releases partisan propaganda. You denied that trump encouraged any violence on january 6. You have clean house of every attorney who worked on a case related to trump. And you have bragged that bringing justice for violent rioters meant that every one of them was either pardoned or had their sentence commuted. I hope that our colleagues who were concerned about what happened on january 6 take that into account. Thank you.
▶ 2:08:04Chair Grassley: Would you like to respond?
▶ 2:08:06Hon. Blanche: Almost everything the senator said that she is protected. He is allowed to live. Almost everything he said was absolutely false, ok? Starting with the fact that I have never -- I have never said that any sort of violence against law enforcement is appropriate. I have never said that publicly. I have never said that in a speech. I certainly do not believe that. I did not hire the person referenced. That is again something that just happens not to be true.
▶ 2:08:35Hon. Blanche: When I talk about what happened with the convicted january 6 defendants, I talk about what president trump did. He has the absolute right to pardon anybody for any reason he sees fit, and every one of them got part -- got pardoned or commuted. I'm not celebrating that. It is a fact. The fact that my department had to take action in response to those pardons by dismissing some of those cases is exactly what I have to do under the law, and it is what I did.
▶ 2:09:04Hon. Blanche: The narrative the senator just suggested and put on me as something I believe is absolutely not true.
▶ 2:09:13Sen. Whitehouse: Since he accused me of lying personally, Mr. chairman, let me ask that I put this series of concerns into a question for the record, and that you under oath, one by one, tell me where there is a lie. Get that to me.
▶ 2:09:28Hon. Blanche: I'm happy to do that, absolutely.
▶ 2:09:33Sen. Grassley: Before I go to senator like burn, since oversight was brought up and responsiveness, I would like to speak about how it was with the biden justice department's nonresponsiveness to my oversight letters. If the biden justice department would have been remotely responsive, there would not be such a backlog right now.
▶ 2:09:59Sen. Grassley: So let's not pretend for a minute the last administration was a benchmark of responsiveness and this administration to this -- to its credit has been more responsive. I talked about in my opening statement 43,000 pages of documents that you have released, compared to a lot less in the previous administration. Senator blackwell? Sen. blackwell thank you, Mr. chairman. Thank you for being with us today.
▶ 2:10:27Sen. Grassley: Before I get to my questions, I would like to make you aware that when ranking member durbin was chairman in the last congress, I tried repeatedly to subpoena the epstein files so that we could get those banking records and those flight logs, and repeatedly, that was blocked.
▶ 2:10:49Sen. Grassley: So the democrats at that point did not want to know what was in the epstein files, until they lost the majority, and then they were hell-bent to get that. I also want to make certain that we get on the record that doj has met with the following list of attorneys who represent victims, including many who have claimed that they have never had
▶ 2:11:19Sen. Grassley: A meeting with doj. Here is this list. Sigrid mcauley. Jordan marson. Gloria allred. Alan goldfarb. Daniel kaiser. Miriam meyer wang. Glenn neck. Adam horowitz. Jacks are all up. Dennis already. Joel greenfield. Julie keyes. David h brody. Kate l don unger.
▶ 2:11:51Sen. Grassley: Andrew villa passed in. Brittany henderson. Brett edwards. Leo binder. Roberta kaplan. Tosha thompson. For the record. I do want to talk with you a little bit about memphis and the memphis safe task force. We are so grateful.
▶ 2:12:13Sen. Grassley: When you talk about a success, the work that has been done in memphis in fighting crime -- this is going to be a big part of president trump's legacy and his commitment to memphis, the commitment that has been made by his administration is something that all west tennesseans are incredibly grateful for.
▶ 2:12:39Sen. Grassley: This is something come up with president trump, with kash patel , we started saying "please help us, and that call was answered. I brought the crime stats. We get the daily report from memphis. 11,040 arrests have been made. And yesterday, there were 40 arrests.
▶ 2:13:03Sen. Grassley: These included someone charged with second-degree murder, another with first-degree murder , aggravated child abuse, attempted rape, and aggravated assault. There have been nearly 2000 firearms that have been seized. There have been 155 children that have been recovered. The stats tell the story.
▶ 2:13:29Sen. Grassley: You, president, director patel, and the agencies that are there, working with our governor, state agencies, the memphis mayor, the memphis police chief -- this is the way to fight crime. And we are ever so grateful, and we want to be able to sustain and build on that.
▶ 2:13:51Sen. Grassley: And I would like for you to talk just a moment about memphis, and what lies ahead for memphis, and more broadly, for other cities and counties that are focused on public safety.
▶ 2:14:09Hon. Blanche: Thank you, senator. What we have done, and I don't mean the department of justice alone -- I mean state and local partners, the national guard, all of our federal agencies, dhs -- memphis should be a poster child for a lot of cities in this country. You have a city that had skyrocketing crime and restaurants that were out of business, storefronts that did not exist. They were boarded up. We came together.
▶ 2:14:40Hon. Blanche: It was president trump working with you, the governor, our partners. We are going into the city and we are going to arrest -- amazingly, a very small percentage of the memphis population and -- is committing a large percentage of the crimes. You are actually able to bring the crime stats down remarkably, which is what we did. As far as what happens going forward, we keep doing it.
▶ 2:15:09Hon. Blanche: There are restaurants opening in memphis, stores opening in memphis. It is a new city compared to where it was one year ago. I look at as a poster child of what we could do in cities across the country.
▶ 2:15:39Hon. Blanche: The simple blackwell evan that could be a model around the country.
▶ 2:15:43Hon. Blanche: We are going to make sure that cities that need to be safer are safer here they are on the right track. They have the resources they need to keep doing it. >> when we were in the office, I talked about my carjacking bill that would lower the intent standard to a general knowingly requirement, giving the federal prosecutors more tools so that they could hold some of these violent carjackers accountable.
▶ 2:16:13Hon. Blanche: We thought it was going to move with the ndaa and leader schumer has blocked that. It is a bipartisan bill. Talk about the importance of lowering that statute so we can prosecute those crimes.
▶ 2:16:33Hon. Blanche: Yes, it needs to be done. Carjacking not only in tennessee but every city in this country, has gotten out of hand. The criminals are better at it. They have tools that make it easier to get into cars. They're willing to exact violence. So the standard that exists now under the statute but also because of certain cases make it higher than a regular general intent crime. And law enforcement and prosecutors will do the right thing.
▶ 2:17:03Hon. Blanche: So we need to be empowered with tools to prosecute these cases. If there are cases where somebody was in the car and did not know, prosecutors will do the right thing. But it should not be the law that puts the damper on that. I'm hopeful that we can continue to work together on that, because it is very important.
▶ 2:17:22Sen. Blackburn: There was a deeply disappointing decision from the court in the trump versus barbara case. It is clear that congress -- we are going to have to step up and do something about birthright citizenship. This is our opening. We know that birthright tourism is something that is taking place in our country. We know that during the first trump administration there was a good bit of evidence on this.
▶ 2:17:54Sen. Blackburn: I have had a band birthright tourism bill that would block these 33,000 births a year from people who are circumventing our laws and coming here simply for the purpose of giving birth. It is primarily the chinese, and it is also the russian oligarchs, and they are exploiting this.
▶ 2:18:20Sen. Blackburn: And my bill would make coming here to give birth inadmissible as a way to obtain a visa, and deportable -- immediately deportable as a -- as an offense. Touch on my congress needs to act and give the administration more tools to enforce this.
▶ 2:18:46Hon. Blanche: Yes, so the very day after the decision came out, the department of justice issued a directive to prosecutors to focus on the conduct you are describing using existing laws and tools that we have, which is mostly around false statements or fraudulent information in the visa application process. We are going to do that.
▶ 2:19:08Hon. Blanche: That is pretty much -- we are limited in how we can prosecute folks that are coming here, lying about why they are coming here, coming just to give birth, and organizations that are facilitating that. Any congressional statutory adjustment -- the supreme court opinions relied in part on the statutory part of this.
▶ 2:19:28Hon. Blanche: That would give us more tools and we give the president more tools, to keep up people who are absolutely not coming from the -- for the right reason, only coming to give birth.
▶ 2:19:40Sen. Blackburn: You are doing a great job on fraud, and going after fraud that has been committed. The fraud task force seems to be working well. From tennesseans, I hear a good bit about this. They want the fraudulent activity to stop. It is taxpayer money, and they want their money to be used wisely.
▶ 2:20:04Sen. Blackburn: We have had legislation that would apply to individuals that have come into the country either illegally, or maybe they have been naturalized citizens. The fraud accountability act would push for that deportation and the naturalization if they have been found to be defrauding individuals or local, state, or federal government.
▶ 2:20:35Sen. Blackburn: Over time -- I will ask you for this in writing. I would like to hear from you why it is important to put more tools in the toolbox for you all to go after these individuals that are defrauding the U.S. taxpayer. Thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 2:20:53Chair Grassley: Before I call on senator coons, senator durbin.
▶ 2:21:01Sen. Durbin: Very short. Thank you. Based on statements just made by the senator from tennessee, I checked the transcript of the committee. In the november 30 ethics subpoena authorization markup I chaired and attempted to recognize senator blackburn multiple times so that she could offer an amendment regarding epstein's flight logs, but her republican parties -- colleagues prevented her from doing so by filibustering and invoking a senate rule during the markup.
▶ 2:21:33Sen. Durbin: Many epstein records including flight logs have been public for years. I reached out to some to work to identify which records she actually wanted. To this day, she has never responded.
▶ 2:21:45Sen. Blackburn: Mr. chairman, he mentioned my name. I have previously and will continue -- there is video. There is a transcript. Mr. blanche, I will be happy to forward that to you.
▶ 2:22:02Sen. Coons: Thank you, Mr. chairman. Acting attorney general blanche, thank you for your service and for appearing here. Thank you to your family and to the men and women of the department of justice who worked tirelessly to fight crime and make our nation secure. I am sorry that your schedule apparently did not permit us to meet before this confirmation hearing. But I hope and expect we will find time to meet soon after.
▶ 2:22:26Hon. Blanche: Absolutely, thank you.
▶ 2:22:31Sen. Coons: As I consider nominations to cabinet positions, I asked whether you are qualified to serve. You demonstrably are. That you have the policy of use to serve well. We will discuss that today. And most importantly in this role, that you have the independence to serve as the attorney general for the american people. And that last question has troubled me the most.
▶ 2:22:52Sen. Coons: You are in charge of a department of justice I don't recognize, prosecuting the president's political enemies, firing rank-and-file prosecutors, fbi agents, because of the cases they were assigned to. Slashing rants for law enforcement and public safety. These are actions that in your previous confirmation hearing before us you said you would not take.
▶ 2:23:13Sen. Coons: I appreciate your statement walking back to 1.8 billion dollar weaponization c1 if you set in appropriations hearings earlier this year and defended it at that time. You told me I was wrong for criticizing it. I am concerned it is not dead yet. I think we should talk it through.
▶ 2:23:39Sen. Coons: This is not what I believe the american people deserve from the department of justice. Having spent critical parts in january 6 taking shelter in this room, how many people were convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers?
▶ 2:23:58Hon. Blanche: I believe around 12- 120 but I could be off.
▶ 2:24:07Sen. Coons: You are. The answer is 200. Family of those sentences were commuted or pardoned?
▶ 2:24:17Hon. Blanche: President trump commuted every defendant from january 6.
▶ 2:24:23Sen. Coons: Outside this room are capitol hill police officers. How many of them have friends or colleagues who were supported -- attacked by supporters?
▶ 2:24:36Hon. Blanche: I do not know the numbers. I'm sure many of them were not working.
▶ 2:24:45Sen. Coons: I consider it as shameful slap in the face for those convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers to be pardons. You said you were not celebrating this decision. Earlier this year at a conservative event I would say from the chance he trumpeted it as an achievement.
▶ 2:25:16Sen. Coons: You said if you look at what happened to the men and women of what happened, every one of them was either pardoned or had their citizens commuted. Would you say you are proud of president trump's decision to pardoned individuals who assaulted law enforcement officers?
▶ 2:25:38Hon. Blanche: I was responding to inquiries around why more had not been done with respect to january 6. My answer was that january 6 defendants and some of their lawyers had a short memory. A lot had already been done. They had been pardoned. Or commuted. I was stating a fact.
▶ 2:26:10Hon. Blanche: They received a very generous pardon.
▶ 2:26:15Sen. Coons: It was unwarranted and unjustified. It is present eligible to run for another term as president in 2020?
▶ 2:26:36Hon. Blanche: I do not think he is.
▶ 2:26:39Sen. Coons: What he thinks several of judicial nominees have refused repeatedly to answer that question when I put it to them?
▶ 2:26:49Hon. Blanche: I have no idea.
▶ 2:26:53Sen. Coons: Me neither. It is the department just as you white house?
▶ 2:27:00Hon. Blanche: The department of justice like every single department in the executive, he gives the power to president trump. I will be a member of the cabinet.
▶ 2:27:30Hon. Blanche: President trump can fire me whenever he wants.
▶ 2:27:33Sen. Coons: Do you have a sense of why he fired your predecessor?
▶ 2:27:37Hon. Blanche: I have no idea.
▶ 2:27:41Sen. Coons: Did he ever post on true social directing your predecessor to prosecute his political enemies?
▶ 2:27:53Hon. Blanche: Penalties as were his exact words.
▶ 2:27:57Sen. Coons: But that was his intention. He wanted to secure that. If you are confirmed and asked to take an action that would be illegal or unethical, would you resign?
▶ 2:28:20Hon. Blanche: That would never happen but yes.
▶ 2:28:24Sen. Coons: You answer the question about input you gave to the president. Did you advise him again set?
▶ 2:28:39Hon. Blanche: I will not talk about communications I had with the president. I served as his lawyer for a couple of years. I will not talk about communications. But I will say that president trump chests need to give him counsel. That does not mean I am a yes-man.
▶ 2:29:02Sen. Coons: Let me for a minute bear down on that. You said you are not moving forward with it. But you have repeatedly refused to put that commitment in writing. You should be able to make that assertion in a court filing.
▶ 2:29:25Sen. Coons: On may 19 you testified that since the case have been dismissed there was no mechanism for judicial review. A federal judge said that your testimony was misleading. Why not seek review of the settlement agreement or submit some record?
▶ 2:29:55Sen. Coons: Given that the president continues to publicly champion this weaponization fund? You would not say those who assaulted cops would be eligible for multimillion dollar payouts.
▶ 2:30:11Hon. Blanche: We have put it in writing. It is a repeated court filings. The reason why we did not put that in was there is long-standing precedent. It has nothing to do with whether the fund is alive.
▶ 2:30:43Hon. Blanche: I have said it is said. As far as what the judge said in florida, that judge disagreed with what I said.
▶ 2:31:03Sen. Coons: Thank you. You said earlier this is the most transparent department of justice in history. You said you were here to rebuild trust. I am the senior democrat on the defense committee.
▶ 2:31:28Sen. Coons: I am curious as to why the most transparent department has refused to release the opinion that justifies the strikes that the military has had on boats in the caribbean.
▶ 2:31:48Hon. Blanche: We made that available on multiple occasions. There is a lot of process that goes into that. The idea that we were not transparent about our legal basis is not true.
▶ 2:32:11Sen. Coons: The court in march certified those proceedings. You have not declassify that opinion. They said they expected declassification. Within a couple of weeks. And yet it remains classified.
▶ 2:32:45Hon. Blanche: We will continue to look at that. I think that is a very important issue.
▶ 2:32:52Sen. Coons: This say for act is giving a path forward to make sure that federal probation and parole is more effective. We have discussed this before. Leave me with me to talk about ways that this important criminal justice reform supported by federal law enforcement can move forward?
▶ 2:33:20Hon. Blanche: Yes. I very much agree with that.
▶ 2:33:25Sen. Grassley: Before I call on senator schmitt, we are going to take a 15 minute break. It starts when you leave the chair. Before the end I would like to enter into the record for supporting your nomination from thousands of members of days.
▶ 2:34:00Sen. Grassley: It distinguishes your record of service. Working closely with law enforcement. They believe that your leadership will help ensure the department of justice remains focused on public safety, the rule of law, and providing unwavering support for law enforcement professionals who risk their lives daily to protect our families. It will be entered.
▶ 2:34:33Senator Schmitt: Thank you. You are entering this arena and his confirmation hearing as the chief law enforcement officer. At a very interesting time in our country's history with a focus on the others in my view have taken an all-out assault upon this.
▶ 2:35:02Senator Schmitt: We just got her a government shutdown. I was on the senate floor listening to things I had never heard. This is insane.
▶ 2:35:24Senator Schmitt: These calls to defund ice, this central plank, overthrowing western civilization. This is not your grandfather's democrat party. You are fielding questions that I think you're totally unfair. But is all meant to undermine and demoralize.
▶ 2:35:53Senator Schmitt: I saw it in my time as attorney general of missouri. Many police officers retired early. Fewer came into the ranks to protect and serve. You are coming at an important time. I think president trump like he has with the military has inspired the men and women on the front lines to serve.
▶ 2:36:20Senator Schmitt: You are helping restore that with your focus on violent crime and fraud. I heard one of my colleagues say that this is one of the most trouble department of justice in history. I happened to live through the previous administration when you had a department of justice with the weaponized against political opponents. Dave tried to throw their chief political opponent in jail. Ruin his family's lives.
▶ 2:36:48Senator Schmitt: You are his attorney to witness that. We are aimed against catholics in this country who happened to attend a traditional latin mass. They went after parents who showed up to school board meetings to object to critical race theory. We lived through jack smith. Terra new revelations that he was reading text messages.
▶ 2:37:20Senator Schmitt: Jack smith testified under oath that he did not do that. He testified that they have the phone logs. We know that is not true. He should be subject to prosecution for lying to congress. This weaponization, let's draw a distinction. When you go after your political opponent set as a weaponization. You have a very important job.
▶ 2:37:49Senator Schmitt: I want to highlight a few things that you have done in your time is acting attorney general. Hopefully you are confirmed. You created the national fraud enforcement division. I think this is the tip of the iceberg for what we are seeing in minneapolis in california. That work will continue.
▶ 2:38:14Senator Schmitt: You carried out the largest health care fraud take down in history. You secured six fraud convictions involving more than 1.1 billion in less than three weeks. You clear the backlog of immigration cases allowed for deportations. You filed a historic number of t naturalization cases.
▶ 2:38:41Senator Schmitt: You secured victories against ibm and paypal. You secured 450 years of prison time for antifa members. You prosecuted the southern poverty law center for finally millions of dollars. That is a hell of a record. In 100 days.
▶ 2:39:15Senator Schmitt: More work continues. I want to talk about a few things. I think we have to break the sanctuary cities cam system. To the people watching or listening at home, what is a sanctuary jurisdiction?
▶ 2:39:36Senator Schmitt: It means that if you are a criminal child rapist and you are here illegally and you have been released from prison, they will not tell federal immigration authorities that that person is being released. They would rather have that monster released into the community and be deported. That is how sick this regime is.
▶ 2:40:04Senator Schmitt: We were able to secure in the ice funding millions of dollars to clean up this mess. To carry out there is deportations. Will you use every tool that you have in the toolbox to go after the sanctuary jurisdiction's?
▶ 2:40:21Hon. Blanche: Absolutely. You hit the nail on the head. There are thousands of examples of law enforcement asians being put at risk because instead of going into a jail to arrest somebody or take somebody who is here illegally even with a final order of deportation, that individual gets released into the community and puts heavily at risk. It is not consistent with the law.
▶ 2:40:49Hon. Blanche: I pledge to you that we will do everything we can to combat that.
▶ 2:40:54Sen. Schmitt: The second one is to crush the machine needed -- machinery. The foreign money, identity theft, fraudulent online contributions. The nonprofits that finance extremism.
▶ 2:41:18Sen. Schmitt: Will you enforce the constitution against this and investigate evidence of foreign contributions and identity fraud?
▶ 2:41:26Hon. Blanche: Yes.
▶ 2:41:30Sen. Schmitt: Protected free speech from the new censorship machine. Search engines determine what information americans find. Ai systems increasingly determine which claims are treated as true or false.
▶ 2:41:52Sen. Schmitt: Will you enforce a zero tolerance policy for federal officials who pressured technology companies to suppress lawful speech and work with congress to expose these communications?
▶ 2:42:04Hon. Blanche: Absolutely.
▶ 2:42:07Sen. Schmitt: Thank you. I want to give you an opportunity. You saw what happened to the department of justice under merrick garland in the dirt bag jack smith. And under it joe biden's regime. What lessons you draw? From that?
▶ 2:42:34Hon. Blanche: The business of protecting our communities. I talked about reading violent crime rates down. Combating fraud. Going after the fentanyl crisis in this country. We do not need to be spending millions and billions of dollars bringing prosecutors to go after an entire administration.
▶ 2:43:06Hon. Blanche: Anyone who knew him. Anyone who worked with him. We should not be doing that. We should be arresting bad guys. Tell us what we are doing. We are empowering the fbi, dea to go out and make communities safe.
▶ 2:43:27Hon. Blanche: When it comes to the federal government, combating drug dealing, illegal immigration, narco terrorism, just as importantly is fraud. Bringing money that is stolen from the american taxpayer and getting it back and putting the guys responsible in prison. We can just go out into our jobs. There will be noise.
▶ 2:43:58Hon. Blanche: We prosecuted thousands. We are talking about that. That is the message I take to prosecute his the country.
▶ 2:44:10Sen. Schmitt: I want to thank you early on with his administration, working with the department and others. St. Louis county largest infusion of permanent fbi agents helping clean up the streets. People feel safer. It is a great american turnaround. Hopefully those numbers will continue.
▶ 2:44:34Hon. Blanche: Thank you.
▶ 2:44:37Sen. Grassley: Before we take this break I wanted to say I will be going to another meeting. So we will go on. We will take a break now. We will be back. Senator blumenthal will be the first person to ask questions.
▶ 2:57:48Sen. Grassley: Is a quiet enough each proceed? >> thank you. And back. Thank you for being here. I want to join in thanking the men and women of the department of justice for their service. I want to begin where maybe we have some common ground.
▶ 2:58:19Sen. Grassley: You would agree that the islamic republic of iran is well known to detain and torture and even killed political enemies.
▶ 2:58:41Hon. Blanche: Sen. blumenthal:
▶ 2:58:41Yes Sen. Blumenthal: . They have done that. Last week the iranian-american legal defense fund filed a lawsuit alleging that the trump administration has adopted a policy of collaborating with iran to provide details about the silent applicants. Providing information regularly and frequently to the iranian government about iranian nationals here in the U.S.
▶ 2:59:15Yes Sen. Blumenthal: These are declarations made under oath before the court about the officials stationed here with iran getting information from the U.S. government. And then the american government deporting hundreds of individuals including evangelical christians. Back to iran.
▶ 2:59:46Yes Sen. Blumenthal: Or you consulted about this policy?
▶ 2:59:49Hon. Blanche: That is not our policy. We would never send somebody home to be tortured. That is not what the american people expect of us. There is no such policy.
▶ 3:00:01Sen. Blumenthal: Will you commit to investigate his allegation?
▶ 3:00:05Hon. Blanche: I know nothing about it. We don't do that. If the lawsuit needs to be answered in part of that includes investigation, I will do that.
▶ 3:00:17Sen. Blumenthal: This policy would clearly be illegal. And morally repugnant. You agreed with me that it should not be the policy of the U.S.
▶ 3:00:30Hon. Blanche: You are suggesting there is such a policy. I'm telling you there is no policy.
▶ 3:00:35Sen. Blumenthal: Then I presume you would investigate it.
▶ 3:00:40Hon. Blanche: When I see the lawsuit. I'm not familiar with it.
▶ 3:00:45Sen. Blumenthal: You would agree with me that that would be wrong?
▶ 3:00:48Hon. Blanche: It would be wrong to send somebody home to be tortured.
▶ 3:00:53Sen. Blumenthal: Let me ask you about allegations in connection with this. I think we talked about these allegations when he visited me. Thank you for coming to my office. He was sentenced to seven years in prison. For his role in an almost $1.8 billion ponzi scheme.
▶ 3:01:26Sen. Blumenthal: That defrauded over 10,000 investors. He was in prison. He posted to fellow inmates that he was going to be released.
▶ 3:01:59Sen. Blumenthal: This included statements by other people. That he spoke to the president. The eastern district of new york was investigating these allegations and reportedly received a call from one of your top deputies. Instructing them about the concerns of the department of justice. The investigation was stopped.
▶ 3:02:30Sen. Blumenthal: I wrote to you on june 23. At these allegations. That it was shut down. At the request of your office. Did you have any involvement or knowledge about the commutation of his sentence?
▶ 3:02:53Hon. Blanche: President trump as I have set a couple times a day has full authority to pardon or commute anyone convicted of a federal crime.
▶ 3:03:06Sen. Blumenthal: That is not my question.
▶ 3:03:07Hon. Blanche: I am answering your question. I will not talk about my communications with president trump. He has no obligation to discuss a pardon or commutation. As far as what you just suggested about an investigation, I believe you're referring to a news article that was the report of leaks.
▶ 3:03:35Hon. Blanche: I would caution that their falsehoods and those news articles.
▶ 3:03:37Sen. Blumenthal: I am asking you whether you had any involvement in commuting that sentence on stopping the investigation into the allegations of impropriety of payment?
▶ 3:03:52Hon. Blanche: I answer the first question. We say stopping an investigation. There is an assumption built into your question. We will not talk about if investigations exist or do not exist.
▶ 3:04:08Sen. Blumenthal: There was an investigation.
▶ 3:04:12Hon. Blanche: That is my whole point in saying there is an assumption baked into your question that I do not think is true. We cannot comment on the existence of investigations.
▶ 3:04:23Sen. Blumenthal: You commented this morning about several investigations.
▶ 3:04:28Hon. Blanche: I have not.
▶ 3:04:30Sen. Blumenthal: You commented about the fisa investigation.
▶ 3:04:36Hon. Blanche: By point is you are asking me about a news article. The source of which was leaks. It would be inappropriate of me at the acting attorney general to comment on such leaks or news articles you're referencing.
▶ 3:04:53Sen. Blumenthal: I except that you are not going to answer my question but I think there is a need for the inspector general to look into the investigation. It was one of these articles and other information. Let me move on. In 2017, more than 10 thousand 9/11 victims filed suit against the kingdom of saudi arabia.
▶ 3:05:23Sen. Blumenthal: That lawsuit is heading to trial. Information was promised by president trump in september of 2019. That information has not been provided. Will you commit to meet with those families and provide that information?
▶ 3:05:42Hon. Blanche: Folks as my office have met with representatives of those families. We will commit to continuing to have communications. I don't know what the informationi just can't commit .
▶ 3:05:59Sen. Blumenthal: Let's talk about information about the epstein abuses. Your predecessor apologized to the epstein survivors. With good reason. As you have said today, mistakes were made. I am asking you to date epstein survivors in this room to apologize to them.
▶ 3:06:23Hon. Blanche: My heart breaks for every victim of any sexual crime. Whether it is involving Mr. epstein or someone else. If you asked me to apologize that this happened to them, of course, absolutely. This is a horrible thing which is why this department of justice and administration is focused very heavily on going after these predators. That is part of my job.
▶ 3:06:51Sen. Blumenthal: Will you apologize them to for the mishandling and mistakes that were made by the department of justice?
▶ 3:07:04Hon. Blanche: I will say that any mistake has been made. I am answering the question. Any mistake that was made was not appropriate. I am sorry that mistakes were made.
▶ 3:07:29Hon. Blanche: But I will say on top of that is we put tons of resources to rectifying those mistakes immediately. Including pulling down documents within minutes of being informed that there were potential mistakes made. That is what I would expect the victims would want us to do.
▶ 3:07:48Sen. Blumenthal: You would agree with me that you can well meet with any of the surviving victims with their counsel present.
▶ 3:08:01Hon. Blanche: I said if they were represented, I would have to meet through counsel. Of course I can meet with them. I'm the attack -- acting attorney general of the united states. I believe in these victims to tell their stories. They should meet with the fbi or a law enforcement agent. We should do everything we can to prosecute.
▶ 3:08:27Sen. Blumenthal: The judge in florida referred to your misconduct. She concluded that it was misconduct and misrepresentation. In that legal action. There was potential discipline. Including losing your law license.
▶ 3:08:54Sen. Blumenthal: Has that kind of referral ever happened by a federal judge for an attorney general of the united states?
▶ 3:09:00Hon. Blanche: I do not know. That judge never asked us to respond. She never gave us a chance to respond to anything. She asked that a copy of the order be provided to the new york bar. As I have said earlier, I think anybody on this committee, especially the lawyers can read that and reach their own conclusion.
▶ 3:09:29Hon. Blanche: I very much disagree with insinuations about me. We will do what we can to make that right.
▶ 3:09:34Sen. Blumenthal: Would you agree with me that agents of the U.S. should not fire into cars unless there is an imminent threat?
▶ 3:09:46Sen. Grassley: Give a short answer to that.
▶ 3:09:49Hon. Blanche: There is a well-established standard when a nation extend fire. That is something that should be
▶ 3:10:01Sen. Blumenthal: Followed. That includes that firing weapons of the cars?
▶ 3:10:04Sen. Grassley: Do you want to respond to that?
▶ 3:10:07Hon. Blanche: It requires federal agents to follow the rules.
▶ 3:10:13Sen. Grassley: By what another letters supporting the nominee from the american border story. A national organization representing 300 angel families. The families we work with are not focused on politics. They want leaders who take crime seriously. To understand the national security implementation.
▶ 3:10:46Sen. Grassley: They will prioritize victims over ideology. We believe todd blanche understands that responsibility. He would approach the office of attorney general with the seriousness it demands. Without objection that will be entered into the record.
▶ 3:11:04Sen. Britt: I think that is an excellent segway. I pray appreciate your commitment to all of the victims. The epstein victims. Your commitment to hear from them and fight for them. Thank you for saying that today. I only wish that my democratic colleagues had that same level of conviction when it came to a meeting with the families of those who lost loved ones at the hands of illegal aliens. Thank you for that letter.
▶ 3:11:36Sen. Britt: Thank you for that commitment. I hope they will meet with their own constituencies. I want to thank you for reducing violent crime across the country. We have heard it multiple times today. We currently have the lowest murder rate we have had since 1900.
▶ 3:12:06Sen. Britt: When you are looking at violent crime arrests, they are up. This is real results. This is what you're supposed to be doing. Keeping americans safe. We know you've done that through a number of ways. A task force in joint operations. We have seen those task forces successfully pursue numerous cases.
▶ 3:12:42Sen. Britt: We are glad that her children are safe appear that our communities are safe here. We have had tremendous results. I hope you continue this all across the country.
▶ 3:13:12Sen. Britt: Can you speak to the work of these taskforces and the success you have seen and how you intend to build upon this?
▶ 3:13:22Hon. Blanche: The homeland security task force regime that we have set up in every single state is designed to do just what he described. To work with the department of homeland security. Local prosecutors. And assistant U.S. attorneys.
▶ 3:13:54Hon. Blanche: It has been set up for almost a year. In most places. The results are evident in the statistics that we show. When I go to U.S. attorney offices and meet with groups like I do all the time, they say this is what we need. This is what works. Getting law enforcement together in a room to say we need to tackle this.
▶ 3:14:28Hon. Blanche: It is basic law enforcement that I have done for a long time. That president trump trumpets. That is why we are seeing the success we are seeing. We are not slowing down. It is full speed ahead. I hope we continue to see the results we have seen over the past 10 months.
▶ 3:14:50Sen. Britt: Thank you for your commitment to that of all the work you have done. I want to take a brief moment. Lindsey graham was excited about your nomination. He was passionate about many things. Which we saw here in this committee. The end of amazing ways. One of the things he was a champion of was the unborn.
▶ 3:15:20Sen. Britt: That is a deeply held conviction that we both have. I went to a chest the issue of the chemical abortion drug that we have seen spread coast to coast. There is no longer an person dispensing requirement in place for the drug.
▶ 3:15:49Sen. Britt: This allows it to be dispersed across state lines. All across the country. We are losing children. And we are putting women in harm's way. It has no oversight or safeguard. I got to hear the story of someone who is here with us today.
▶ 3:16:18Sen. Britt: So grateful for her willingness to be here. I got to hear it firsthand yesterday. I know many people have read her story in recent news articles about a doctor forcing a crushed abortion pill into her mouth. In the middle of the night. Then taking her keys and holding her hostage so she could get help.
▶ 3:16:49Sen. Britt: This is sick and twisted and must stop. He used his ex-wife's information to buy those drugs online to kill his own child. To endanger her life. Sadly her story is one of many. Can you commit to me that the doj will prioritize taking meaningful and thoughtful action to address the dangers for women all over this country.
▶ 3:17:20Hon. Blanche: Absolutely. It is not only with the department of justice can do but with the fda is doing right now. For the first time in a decade. Doing real studies about the safety and appropriateness of this drug. I have seen video of myself of what appears to be pills coming in from overseas for young women. It does not matter who applies for it. Anyone can get it.
▶ 3:17:51Hon. Blanche: It is wrong. I will very much commit my resources to stopping this.
▶ 3:17:57Sen. Britt: Thank you very much. I want to raise another issue. Illegal offshore gaming. Amongst minors. A study found that individuals who began handling before the age of 15 or 15% more likely to develop an addiction to gambling. This has become a major issue among americans.
▶ 3:18:27Sen. Britt: In the northern district of alabama we saw case were 10 men pleaded guilty to managing a sports betting operation and accepted over $2 billion in wagers. We have worked together on this.
▶ 3:18:53Sen. Britt: We sent a letter to the department. To block illegal offshore gaming operations. I want to tell you how much I appreciate the response. It was very sensitive. Will you commit to me that you can make this issue a priority? And take robust action to combat the reach of the legal gaming in the U.S.
▶ 3:19:23Sen. Britt: And the targeting of minors?
▶ 3:19:24Hon. Blanche: Absolutely.
▶ 3:19:26Sen. Britt: The U.S. census bureau reported over a decade that d over 65 population in the U.S. experienced the largest ever numeric gain in share of the overall population. In its annual report to congress they noted that total fraud losses by older americans increased almost fourfold.
▶ 3:20:08Sen. Britt: As our society ages and we can continue to be a problem that we must take robust action to address. Especially given technological advances in other ways this fraud is happening. To utilize a block chain for investigating financial fraud.
▶ 3:20:34Sen. Britt: It would permit federal law enforcement to assist state and local law enforcement for tools without technology. I know that doj has programs in place. Can you speak specifically to efforts with respect to financial fraud and the extent to which she will work to make this a priority under your leadership.
▶ 3:21:02Sen. Britt: And the importance of collaboration with state and local law enforcement.
▶ 3:21:07Hon. Blanche: We are very focused. Every U.S. attorney general's office on protecting our elderly. Many of these scams are coming from overseas. Entire buildings filled with individuals cold calling senior citizens to try to give them money.
▶ 3:21:37Hon. Blanche: We have charged over 300 this year alone. We will continue doing that. It has been a priority. To target these criminals. Many of them are not even in this country. Going after our citizens.
▶ 3:21:51Sen. Britt: Thank you so much for your service and I look forward to supporting your nomination.
▶ 3:21:56Sen. Grassley: I have another letter for the nominee. Supporting him. From americans united for life. A pro-life organization. His commitment to respecting human life is evident. His actions as acting attorney general.
▶ 3:22:25Sen. Grassley: We are confident in his commitment to a fair and even application. Without objection it will be entered into the record. >> thank you. Welcome home. To ensure the fitness to serve of all nominees to come before any of my committees I asked the following additional questions.
▶ 3:22:50Sen. Grassley: Since you became a legal adult have you ever make unwanted requests for sexual favors or committed any verbal or physical harassment?
▶ 3:22:59Hon. Blanche: No. >> have ever faced a settlement regarding to this type of conduct? >> no. >> over the course of the last five months the new mexico department of justice has talked to your staff about getting access to information for its investigation into alleged crimes at jeffrey epstein's ranch.
▶ 3:23:29Hon. Blanche: Will you and your team continue to cooperate with the new mexico department of justice and health to get the information it needs?
▶ 3:23:37Hon. Blanche: Yes. We are continuing to work with him.
▶ 3:23:41Sen. Hirono: Thank. At a press conference a reporter asked to a question about president chen's desire to see his perceived political enemies prosecuted. You answered that is his right and indeed it is his duty to do that.
▶ 3:24:06Sen. Hirono: Do you believe it is the president's right and duty to order the investigation or prosecution of his perceived enemies?
▶ 3:24:13Hon. Blanche: I cannot answer that prayer that is not the questioning. As president of the united states he is in charge of the department of justice. My answer reflects that idea.
▶ 3:24:30Sen. Hirono: I think what the president meant was pretty clear. I wanted to know whether you thought that was indeed his right. To prosecute his perceived enemies. Investigations of his perceived enemies are not theoretical. They are happening.
▶ 3:24:55Sen. Hirono: Last august president trump posted on social media that george soros should be charged. Weeks later one of your deputies directed several U.S. attorneys offices to investigate his charitable organizations for violating the rico statute. Where the U.S.
▶ 3:25:21Sen. Hirono: Attorney's office is asked to launch these investigations because of the president's post?
▶ 3:25:26Hon. Blanche: I'm not even confirming that they were asked that. Most certainly not because of that.
▶ 3:25:32Sen. Hirono: The president definitely post stated that they should do that. You have sued 30 states seeking their voter lists. 14 of those lawsuits have been resolved by a judges.
▶ 3:26:03Sen. Hirono: Did any of those 14 federal court judges from across the country agree with the doj legal position?
▶ 3:26:11Hon. Blanche: With some of the legal positions, yes. The answer to the question is yes. They agree with some of our legal positions. Most of those cases.
▶ 3:26:32Sen. Hirono: That is not correct. The answer is actually no. Some of them were trump appointees. They disagree with the doj position in terms of getting access to these voter rolls. It is election interference. We know that federal judges are a problem for you. They are a problem for president trump because they actually care about facts and evidence.
▶ 3:27:03Sen. Hirono: That is why last fall at a federal society event you called on the young lawyers to join you in fighting a war. You said we need you because it is a war. It is something we will not win. The war you are talking about is against federal judges who were ruling against the administration.
▶ 3:27:33Sen. Hirono: Do you believe that judges should be impeached based on their rulings against this administration? And the president?
▶ 3:27:46Hon. Blanche: No I do not believe that.
▶ 3:27:49Sen. Hirono: You disagree with the president. Because he believes judges should be impeached. President trump sees that department of justice is not only as a tool to attack his enemies but also useful for helping his friends. You signed an attorney general order establishing funding and setting out requirements for the anti-weaponization fund.
▶ 3:28:19Hon. Blanche: Yes. I signed that document.
▶ 3:28:23Sen. Hirono: Have you rescinded
▶ 3:28:25That Order Sen. Coons: Hon.
▶ 3:28:26Blanche: Yes.
▶ 3:28:27Sen. Hirono: That is not my question.
▶ 3:28:30Hon. Blanche: I'm doing it under oath right now.
▶ 3:28:34Sen. Hirono: When you answer that that is no funds that is not resending the order. You can resurrect that order at any time. Your answer is you have not rescinded it. One of your first acts as a deputy attorney general is to issue a memo for enforcement worked about cryptocurrency. Crime surged in 2025.
▶ 3:29:04Sen. Hirono: Are you aware that americans reported over $11 billion in crypto fraud losses to the fbi last year?
▶ 3:29:12Hon. Blanche: Our enforcement's way of compared to year and a half ago. Added and eviscerate anything. We actually empowered attorneys around the country to go after them. We continue to do that.
▶ 3:29:28Sen. Hirono: I take hate you are not aware that there were reports of over $11 million in crypto fraud reported to the fbi. That was my question. Are you aware of it or not?
▶ 3:29:41Hon. Blanche: Are you talking to the fraud we have prosecuted?
▶ 3:29:45Sen. Hirono: I'm talking about >> it doesn't seem you're aware because you're making all kinds of excuses. You eviscerated that work.
▶ 3:30:10Sen. Hirono: When you issued your memo, you held significant amounts of cryptocurrency yourself. I sent you several letters. I am still awaiting your answer. It is clear to me your leadership will be a continuation of what we have seen so far at the trump department of justice.
▶ 3:30:40Sen. Hirono: You are more likely to be called the department of retribution and corruption. You see nothing wrong with the president treating doj as his own personal law firm to use against his perceived enemies and as a way of helping his friends. As a tool to interfere with the upcoming elections. The states run elections in this country. You want to insert doj and every step of the process.
▶ 3:31:10Sen. Hirono: You want us to suppress the american citizens who will have a chance to resoundingly reject the president's corruption at the ballot box this november. You signed a memo eviscerating doj's cryptocurrency enforcement work leading to a surge in americans being victimized by cryptocurrency fraud.
▶ 3:31:35Sen. Hirono: You also champion a slush fund for the president's allies who attacked police officers on january 6. From the beginning we all knew that's what this front was for. This is a federal judge concluding the fund came out of a fake lawsuit the attempt to compensate his insurrectionist allies.
▶ 3:32:03Sen. Hirono: You played a key role in attempting to perpetuate this fraud on american taxpayers and you oversaw the botched release of the epstein files denying just this again to survivors who had been waiting. I have no business being the attorney general of the united states of america. Thank you.
▶ 3:32:33Sen. Hirono: >> on the crypto point, our crypto prosecutions are way up. It is very true that crypto fraud is a thing. Getting rid of a task force of lawyers in washington, D.C., did nothing more than power ausa's around the country. I am proud of what we were doing and it will continue to do it.
▶ 3:33:09Sen. Grassley: Before I call on senator tillis, we have been criticized, I wish you to spare me the outrage, they cheered on by them as he weaponize the targeting president trump. Congressional republicans, parents, catholics, conservative americans nationwide.
▶ 3:33:35Sen. Grassley: I think the other party has zero credibility on this issue. Moreover let's look and some of the so-called political prosecutions underway with the southern poverty law center. The groups have been funding extremist groups with don lemon and the ice protesters.
▶ 3:34:08Sen. Grassley: They stormed and intimidated folks in the middle of a church service. Those are not political prosecutions. It is a responsibility of the government and the justice department.
▶ 3:34:28Sen. Tillis: Thank you for being before the hearing. I think you are doing very well. I am going to ascend to the rarefied air of the moral high ground here. As I have heard some of the democrats talking about this administration, it's almost as if they are here when the biden administration did indictments against president trump.
▶ 3:34:59Sen. Tillis: We haven't talked about the way they dealt with a family member who has been indicted. I don't think I remember them ramping up the freedom of access to arresting pro-life people from the law they decided to ratchet up in 1994. A couple of important cases there. The january 6 prosecutions.
▶ 3:35:32Sen. Tillis: The fact of the matter is, hundreds or thousands of people's lives were destroyed because they did something stupid that day. There is a vast difference between doing something stupid and doing something that destroys your career.
▶ 3:35:51Sen. Tillis: The biden administration tapped on the emotions at the time to over prosecute and weaponize the doj and went after people I believe deserved a pardon because they want the people who attacked police officers. They knowingly destroyed the capital. We want the people who lead in -- went in and led the qanon shaman. They are the people that get me mad.
▶ 3:36:19Sen. Tillis: It is remarkable how it's almost as if men in black, that device they use, it is remarkable. Most people sat before the committee and not a whiff. I hate duplicity and situational ethics. Not you, you work for somebody.
▶ 3:36:51Sen. Tillis: I hope you stay within the ethical bounds of the law. You have to answer to everyone else. It is just jarring to hear people criticize this administration when they can't look in the mirror and ask themselves why they were criticizing and administration with a blue jersey. Now my criticism of the administration with the red jersey.
▶ 3:37:18Sen. Tillis: I have searched heaven and earth and I haven't heard anything except a passing comment at a c-span conference. Could you tell me definitively that you think any capitol police officer was harmed on january 6 was the victim of a heinous crime at the hands of the person who did it?
▶ 3:37:42Ag. Blanche: Yes and should have been prosecuted.
▶ 3:37:49Sen. Tillis: As long as you could prove you have been consistent, use those sound bites. When you look the other way when fundamentally at the abstract level, president biden did everything that you are accusing president trump of doing. A part of what we have to get rid of is this political physics going on. American people are in exceptional people. They always like to best each other.
▶ 3:38:19Sen. Tillis: When we have a bad action of one administration, I would be dam ned if we don't repeat it with another one. Let's be better than them. Not better at prosecuting people. Let's just be better than them.
▶ 3:38:42Sen. Tillis: Let such an example of the spiraling or the next congress I will be a part of will be talking about it again in 2029 if a democratic president comes in they will up the ante and go right after this administration as an example of why they should. This administration has done the same thing to justify some of their behavior.
▶ 3:39:08Sen. Tillis: Let people all know that we are at this place today in part because of the actions of the biden administration and the weaponization that we saw under garland, who I supported. Let's be real. If you will criticize one administration, look in the mirror before you do it. Mr. blanche, I want to stick a fork in this turkey of the 1776 fund.
▶ 3:39:38Sen. Tillis: You said it is moot. I have colleagues here who are an attorney. I am a business consultant. This is a problem. It should never be paid out. You said it is moot. Others, the smart attorneys think the courts will probably deal with it.
▶ 3:39:59Sen. Tillis: Why should we waste the core capacity on this issue if I could walk to the senate floor with had agreed to piece of text coming from the administration that renders this whole thing dead, gone. I don't need approach language, I don't need a statement from the administration. Everybody around here says it's over. Why can't we agree on a language that I could dare the democrats to oppose this. Why is that a bad strategy?
▶ 3:40:36Ag. Blanche: We do not object that path or are including it.
▶ 3:40:48Sen. Tillis: I know senator collins is working on this language. You have your own job to do. We are not necessarily getting along well on the party lines. They are already threatening a shutdown. He's already threatening a shutdown. That language to a bill that is dead on arrival.
▶ 3:41:13Sen. Tillis: My question is who on earth would raise an objection if we were able to put something on the floor that ended this debate. The only reason I think a democrat would be opposed to it is they love milking this for what it is. Could I get your commitment to maybe provide us with some technical assistance on what that language would look like?
▶ 3:41:36Ag. Blanche: Absolutely.
▶ 3:41:43Sen. Tillis: I wanted to echo and Mr. chairman I know I caught him offguard, if I can see unanimous consent to put in the letter that senator cornyn and I said to Mr. blanche.
▶ 3:41:57Chair Grassley: Without objection.
▶ 3:42:01Sen. Tillis: I think there is a way to solve that and I have confidence in your ability to do it. It is very important. I guess for the purposes of back to the pardons, I get pretty emotional about that.
▶ 3:42:33Sen. Tillis: We need to do a better job of looking through the pardons process. I talked about the january 6 pardons. It is only 172 days, maybe he could come back next year. It is something else we have to look at.
▶ 3:42:59Sen. Tillis: The democrats, you take a look at the list of pardons and the biden administration. Now I heard people criticizing some of the get out of audit arguments. Had they all forgotten? In the 11th hour making sure they charged with anything.
▶ 3:43:29Sen. Tillis: The point I'm trying to make is political physics. There was no criticism about that. I have talked about the january 6 pardons. I'm concerned there was talk about a corporation getting a pardon.
▶ 3:43:59Sen. Tillis: I would be very curious to confirm if we could sit down and understand how that process goes and to what extent we could have visibility to people getting pardons. Starting with a lot of the pardons that came out of the biden administration. Could I get your confirmation to walk through that process?
▶ 3:44:17Ag. Blanche: Of course.
▶ 3:44:20Chair Grassley: Senator booker.
▶ 3:44:31Sen. Booker: Good afternoon, our president has a well-documented history of pretending to corruptly influence government officials to advance his own personal interest the secretary of georgia asking him to find enough votes to overturn the election. He withheld military aid to pressure zelenskyy to investigate joe biden son.
▶ 3:44:54Sen. Booker: He has been impeached, criminally convicted in georgia, indicted in georgia because he uses his power to unjustly influence people. When a president routinely pressures public officials ford's own personal benefit the department of justice has to remain independent. This brings me really to you and what has you at the center of so much concern. You seem to lead and the department of justice after being the president's personal lawyer.
▶ 3:45:24Sen. Booker: The american people are really entitled to know whether your allegiance to the rule of law is your focus or your allegiance to one man who clearly has an insatiable appetite for revenge for enrichment and the abuse of power. I want to talk about your record. The department has prosecuted people that have caught folks on both sides of the political aisle by surprise.
▶ 3:45:51Sen. Booker: Jim comey, letitia james, adam schiff, federal reserve governor lisa cook. This casts a shadow over your ideas. You directed the arrest of mayor baraka of my city of newark. It's he was arrested but yes or no, did you have a conversation with special agent in charge ricky patel ordering him to arrest mayor baraka?
▶ 3:46:22Ag. Blanche: I had a conversation, I didn't order him to arrest, I authorize the arrest, which was my job.
▶ 3:46:33Sen. Booker: We have body camera footage of them arresting the mayor right now for the deputy attorney general of the united states. The district court assessing all of your conduct admonishing the department of justice. Your role is not to advance political agendas. Your allegiance is the impartial application of the law and uphold due process for all.
▶ 3:47:04Sen. Booker: This is just one example cited by over 1200 current and former department of justice officials appointed under the presence of both parties who worn that you should not be in this position because of your inability to be independent from your personal allegiance to donald trump over the rule of law. I met yesterday with epstein's survivors, some of them are here in the room today.
▶ 3:47:30Sen. Booker: Congress in a bipartisan fashion past the transparency act because the american people were demanding justice. That you failed to abide by that law and release the files by the deadline established by the law. When they were finally released you failed to protect the survivors that the law was intended to protect. Personal information including names, phone numbers, home addresses, images were released.
▶ 3:48:04Sen. Booker: Powerful people were redacted. Survivors were subject to re-traumatization. More than 1200 victims, only two people have ever been prosecuted. Jeffrey epstein and ghislaine maxwell. I was stunned by your conversation with my colleagues that you wouldn't commit to meeting with the survivors but you did meet with ghislaine maxwell. Your claim that you can't meet with these victims because it represented by counsel is utter nonsense.
▶ 3:48:34Sen. Booker: Counsel could be president or quiet -- client could waive that. You are a lawyer. You know this. That is not truthful. You said they should meet with the fbi. All these women have reported their crimes decades ago. You moat -- you won't meet with them. What you will do is meet with ghislaine maxwell. You sat with her and publicly said you were seeking the truth. Let's talk about what that two day meeting produced.
▶ 3:49:07Sen. Booker: Did your interview lead to a single additional person being charged, yes or no?
▶ 3:49:11Ag. Blanche: No.
▶ 3:49:15Sen. Booker: Did it lead to a single new investigation?
▶ 3:49:19Ag. Blanche: I can't talk about whether there is any investigations.
▶ 3:49:26Sen. Booker: I'm not asking you about ongoing or closed. Did you or anyone else from the doj associated with the president discussing presidential pardon with ghislaine maxwell or her ag.
▶ 3:49:39Blanche: Ag. Blanche: attorneys? No.
▶ 3:49:44Sen. Booker: Did you discuss clemency?
▶ 3:49:45Ag. Blanche: No.
▶ 3:49:50Sen. Booker: Did you discuss or transfer to another institution?
▶ 3:49:52Ag. Blanche: No.
▶ 3:49:56Sen. Booker: One week after your meeting miss maxwell was transferred from a federal institution to a low security camp.
▶ 3:50:05Ag. Blanche: In the time leading up to me going down to meet with her, we learned that she was receiving threats.
▶ 3:50:16Sen. Booker: I will interrupt for a matter of time.
▶ 3:50:18Ag. Blanche: It's not a question I can answer in the time you are giving me.
▶ 3:50:25Sen. Booker: When people are under threats in a prison facility they are put into solitary confinement or protective, they are not moved to a camp.
▶ 3:50:34Ag. Blanche: That is not always true.
▶ 3:50:38Sen. Booker: Someone that is accused of child sex trafficking under the bureau of prisons own policies is not put in facilities like this that seems clearly like a reward. The department of justice is also responsible for powerful corporations played by the same rules. Let's take the merger between paramount, warner bros., discovery.
▶ 3:51:04Sen. Booker: This was a proposed $111 billion merger involving two of the last remaining legacy hollywood studios. As it deputy attorney general, you exercise oversight of the antitrust division. You approve the decision to close the department's investigation.
▶ 3:51:24Ag. Blanche: I was part of the decision. You already know the answer, that's incredible.
▶ 3:51:34Sen. Booker: Did they recommend closing that investigation?
▶ 3:51:35Ag. Blanche: I didn't have a conversation with the career.
▶ 3:51:42Sen. Booker: Did the career attorneys recommend closing the investigation?
▶ 3:51:49Ag. Blanche: It has no idea about the question you asked.
▶ 3:51:54Sen. Booker: You do not know what the career attorneys view was?
▶ 3:51:56Ag. Blanche: I'm not sure what the prospective view was.
▶ 3:52:01Sen. Booker: Let me tell you why about the per parent -- appearance of propriety are so damming in this case. On the same day paramount shareholders voted to approve the merger, david ellison hosted a dinner that you attended honoring the president of the united states. While you were at that dinner the doj was still investigating a merger, did you speak with Mr. ellison on that evening?
▶ 3:52:26Ag. Blanche: No.
▶ 3:52:31Sen. Booker: Did you discuss with anyone involved in that organization that evening the department ongoing investigations?
▶ 3:52:43Sen. Booker: Six weeks later that investigation was closed, you have no idea if they even finish their investigation.
▶ 3:52:49Ag. Blanche: That is not what I said. You asked a question about whether the attorneys recommended the investigation be closed and I said I wasn't sure. That is different.
▶ 3:53:00Sen. Booker: Do you believe that creates an appearance of propriety that you are at a dinner?
▶ 3:53:04Ag. Blanche: No.
▶ 3:53:09Sen. Booker: The justice department rules are very clear about avoiding the appearance of impropriety in a case like this, I don't think that is appearance of impropriety, that is improper. The connected and the powerful are getting a chance to rub shoulders. It would seem appropriate that you avoid those kind of appearances in dinners like that.
▶ 3:53:35Ag. Blanche: They are cleared by ethics officials.
▶ 3:53:41Sen. Booker: Your attendance was cleared by ethics officials? Was your appearance at that dinner.
▶ 3:53:46Ag. Blanche: You could ask the questions but you cannot control my answers. I'm under oath.
▶ 3:53:54Sen. Booker: Yes or no were you approved by ethics officials?
▶ 3:53:57Ag. Blanche: Whether it is a speech, dinner, event, they are approved by ethics officials.
▶ 3:54:06Sen. Booker: You didn't answer whether that attendance was approved.
▶ 3:54:09Ag. Blanche: Every time I go out it was approved. Yes.
▶ 3:54:16Sen. Booker: If you want to see a true character of a man don't give him adversity, give him power. I believe you have had a lot of power. We don't have to speculate about what has been revealed with your time in that office. We don't need to worry about what kind of attorney general, you've already had that power. This is in a job interview like usually. You sat before this committee before. You have made promises time and time again.
▶ 3:54:44Sen. Booker: You got the job again to be the number two director. This is more of a performance review. Clearly when it comes to the treatment of epstein victims, when it comes to politically motivated prosecutions, when it comes to avoiding the appearance of impropriety, you failed. You are asking this body for a promotion. Promises to be independent.
▶ 3:55:17Sen. Booker: We don't need your promises we have watched you exercise one of the greatest powers entrusted and what have you shown us? 1200 victims waiting for justice. What have you shown us? There are two prosecutions. While the people involved, the victims are waiting for action, one of the people prosecuted gets the most cushy arrangement possible after you visit with her.
▶ 3:55:50Sen. Booker: You will be facing the president and the powerful. You have chosen trump over truth. You've chosen corporations over the constitution. You failed to meet the test. This is why your nomination should fail. For years and years.
▶ 3:56:19Sen. Booker: He has demonstrated himself to put undue pressure, this is why he was impeached, criminally indicted. If your record and testimony today should show us anything, it should show you that you should not be confirmed for this job. >> before I commence I have been asked by chairman grassley to enter something into the record. We have a letter supporting Mr.
▶ 3:56:48Sen. Booker: Blanche's nomination from the newark police superior officers association. This is from the newark new jersey police department. The letter touts Mr. blanche's experience, character, temperament, leadership. He has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the rule of law.
▶ 3:57:10Sen. Booker: The administration and the constitutional rights afforded to every citizen including the due process rights throughout his distinguished legal career he has earned a reputation for integrity, professionalism, sound judgment and respect for the rule of law. These qualities are essential for the chief law enforcement officer. I will enter this into the record. Mr.
▶ 3:57:36Sen. Booker: Blanche, at the outset, earlier you were asked by one of my colleagues about the settlement agreement and the definition of some of the terms. Going through that, it seems to me some of those terms were defined earlier in the agreement. In the section of the agreement that you are shown on the board. Is that correct?
▶ 3:58:03Ag. Blanche: Yes.
▶ 3:58:06Sen. Lee: Does make a difference. You have no reason to believe the so-called weaponization fund would continue, is that correct?
▶ 3:58:24Sen. Lee: The unprecedented and unfortunate development of the department of justice it is near and dear to my heart as I know it is to yours. A long, historic reputation for impartiality. Public trust in law enforcement plummeted as a result. That should concern every member of this committee and indeed every american. They swept up more than 400 republican groups.
▶ 3:58:56Sen. Lee: It is a blanket investigation, fishing expeditions designed to intimidate. Anyone deemed not favorable to president biden and those who served with him. Those who violated the sanctity of congress. In a brazen move that tramples on all sorts of protection with the fundamental separation of powers.
▶ 3:59:23Sen. Lee: As chairman grassley's investigation continues, just yesterday we learned jack smith's team directly accessed that metadata, not who texted who and what time they did so but the actual content of 44 members of congress, six of them on the senate judiciary committee all without notice.
▶ 3:59:50Sen. Lee: This was un-american and comes uncomfortably close to spying on a coordinate branch of the U.S. government. Protecting individual liberty our constitutional rights as a top priority of mind. The worst form of abuse, I sponsored the bipartisan
▶ 4:00:23Sen. Lee: Legislation long before arctic frost. I believe this must be fixed. No matter who holds the presidency in a way that protects all americans. This calls upon us to pass the reform measure. What steps have you already taken in your capacity as deputy attorney general and now acting attorney general and what reforms do you plan in the future to end these practices?
▶ 4:00:50Ag. Blanche: Thank you. There's a number of things we are doing. Most significantly it is getting materials together and being transparent with this body in this committee like we did recently with the emails you just referenced. One of the best ways we could make sure to never do again what we did before is by exposing ourselves and letting the american people see what we did.
▶ 4:01:16Ag. Blanche: We are also taking steps to right the wrongs. That means going back and issuing reports around not only what the department of justice did at times and other agencies within the executive and calling ourselves, holding ourselves to account that we should not do it again. The most important thing. It is just having prosecutors prosecute bad guys.
▶ 4:01:44Ag. Blanche: It is getting prosecutors out of D.C. and unleashing them to do what they should be doing and what they should have been doing the last four years as well, tackling the drug pandemic and epidemic we have in this country . That is the best way to make sure the next department of justice make sure they're doing the right thing and not the wrong thing.
▶ 4:02:05Sen. Lee: That is wonderful. Sometimes when you are doing things that are not supposed to be done you aren't doing the things that are supposed to be done. Another topic, federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections. A law called the national voter registration act of 1993 requires among other things that the states keep their voter registration files clean.
▶ 4:02:30Sen. Lee: We voting voters who have died and to make those maintenance records available for public inspection. The department of justice is relied upon that disclosure retirement to request state voter rolls and confirm compliance with this mandate among the states. A number of states have refused.
▶ 4:02:52Sen. Lee: When the department of justice has sued to correct this problem some federal courts have issued rulings indicating it doesn't clearly authorize the mbra. It doesn't clearly authorize this kind of compelled production with complete photo registration files. The department is best left without a reliable viable enforcement tool.
▶ 4:03:18Sen. Lee: Even where noncompliance might be staring us in the face as it is in some jurisdictions. Some noncitizens can't legally vote. A number of these states, blue states more than others are doing everything they can to prevent the department of justice from enforcing the law. We have an interpretation of the other provisions that have made it in tandem with this other problem.
▶ 4:03:48Sen. Lee: Virtually impossible to enforce the law. In your view with the save america act give justice clear authority and its efforts to protect the sanctity and security of those elections?
▶ 4:04:01Ag. Blanche: Yes.
▶ 4:04:05Sen. Lee: This is a very important issue. Under your leadership, the department of justice has seen some real success. Could you combat citizens fraud, health care fraud, taxpayer-funded.
▶ 4:04:24Ag. Blanche: We are making it a high priority with the white house and anti-fraud tax force. Having prosecutors focus on fraud. That means working with the fbi, dhs, to get these cases, take them to prosecutors. The fraud division itself is being built up. We've had tremendous success in the past four weeks and recovering billions of dollars that had been stolen.
▶ 4:04:55Ag. Blanche: This is work that is just starting. We have always done fraud cases. The focus on these fraud cases and U.S. attorney having multiple prosecutors is something new. It is something that is important to everybody. That is why we are doing it.
▶ 4:05:18Sen. Lee: Tell is very briefly about what the department is doing to protect children from predators.
▶ 4:05:24Ag. Blanche: There is no greater responsibility prosecutors have. We have recently stood up, a leader running our task force after any sort of human trafficking. We have seen multiple investigations leading to prosecutions and sentences at this point starting since we first took office.
▶ 4:05:57Ag. Blanche: This is about spending resources where they should be spent. Instead of spending time in D.C. working on cases we really should be working on. We are out in the field protecting victims, protecting children and going after the predators in every community in good putting them in federal prison.
▶ 4:06:15Sen. Lee: I'd like to turn to section 702. I want to address some of the repeated claims by some of my colleagues that are in the intelligence commission that they would go dark when the statute lapsed at midnight as of june 12. It operates under a year-long certification approved annually, is that correct?
▶ 4:06:45Sen. Lee: And most recently obtained approval of the 702. Is that correct?
▶ 4:06:50Ag. Blanche: Yes they did.
▶ 4:06:55Sen. Lee: They don't expire until midnight, march 16.
▶ 4:07:01Ag. Blanche: That is correct.
▶ 4:07:06Sen. Lee: In the event they don't comply they can and would impose fines, is that correct?
▶ 4:07:11Ag. Blanche: We would certainly try.
▶ 4:07:16Sen. Lee: I want to echo briefly what my colleague has commented with regard to the supervision act to ensure they promote it in the efficiency and public safety.
▶ 4:07:37Sen. Lee: Some of my colleagues have mentioned a recent court order in the case regarding the late president trump's tax returns -- president trump's late tax returns. Regarding that opinion was there any improper coordination between the department of justice and the trump team?
▶ 4:07:58Ag. Blanche: Not at all.
▶ 4:08:03Sen. Lee: The case itself was settled based on an apology without any compensation being rewarded, isn't that right?
▶ 4:08:13Ag. Blanche: Correct. They absolutely allow what happens here to happen. Hundreds if not thousands of cases around the country every year.
▶ 4:08:28Sen. Lee: For any entity that has been sued for $10 billion, that seems like a pretty good deal. I see my time has expired.
▶ 4:08:38Sen. Padilla: Welcome. Do you believe every human life is sacred.
▶ 4:08:49Ag. Blanche: Yes.
▶ 4:08:55Sen. Padilla: It is a calling who recently passed. Fatally shot by a nice agent during enforcement operation in houston. This week, john sebastian guerrero was killed and another fatal ice involved shooting in maine.
▶ 4:09:20Sen. Padilla: I'm not here to debate immigration, policy, enforcement has been conducted by this administration. My questions are specific to law enforcement policy and best practices. Given that these are officer involved shootings, federal officer involved shootings. What role should the department of justice play in ensuring independent and transparent review and investigations over these incidents.
▶ 4:09:50Ag. Blanche: It depends on the agency. If it is an fbi agent as opposed to an ice age and. The role we should play depends on the conduct. Normally each agency has its own procedures firm. Usually it involves their inspector general. At some point along the way.
▶ 4:10:14Sen. Padilla: I want to come back to that point. Should state and local law enforcement be involved in ensuring there is independent investigation?
▶ 4:10:25Ag. Blanche: I think there's a lot of time were state and local should definitely be involved. I don't unequivocally think they have to be involved for independence, of course not.
▶ 4:10:39Sen. Padilla: In prior incidents , alex pretti and renée good were also fatally shot. As far as we could tell it has been months and months. There has been no justice in these cases. The officers were not fired. They haven't faced any charges.
▶ 4:11:01Sen. Padilla: It does undermine any confidence anybody should have in the department of homeland security's ability to the inspector general or otherwise to investigate its own. What should the role of the department of justice be when there is a officer-involved shooting?
▶ 4:11:18Ag. Blanche: I very much disagree with the statement you just made. The passage of time between january and today doesn't mean there is no justice. These investigations do take time. A senator klobuchar talked about , we meaning the federal government have worked with the state on that case.
▶ 4:11:42Sen. Padilla: Clear justice, investigations take time. Those cases what we have seen is people continuing to die not just in detention facilities but on the streets of america. Coming back to january 6. Several of our colleagues have talked about the slush fund. Do believe someone who forcibly entered the U.S. capital assaulted law enforcement should be rewarded with taxpayer money?
▶ 4:12:10Ag. Blanche: I cannot answer yes or no. If you want the answer I think the fund that does not exist anymore set up parameters where somebody you just described would likely not recover.
▶ 4:12:25Sen. Padilla: Which brings me to my other point. I know senator tillis focused on the slush fund and language of declaration. I also need to be clear that january 6ers should not be able to seek payouts from other sources including the federal claims act.
▶ 4:12:48Sen. Padilla: Do you commit to defending taxpayer money from being paid out as they were convicted in january 6 regardless of the source of funding from the department of justice?
▶ 4:13:00Ag. Blanche: You're talking about a statute that exists and allows anybody to file a suit against the united states. We always vigorously defend our cases.
▶ 4:13:15Sen. Padilla: It is hypothetical. There four letters I have signed on to. The status of january 6 riders seeking payouts from the department.
▶ 4:13:29Ag. Blanche: When you say status you mean those that have filed cases in court?
▶ 4:13:38Sen. Padilla: The request for payouts being reviewed.
▶ 4:13:42Ag. Blanche: I think anybody could file a claim on the federal tort claims act. Those cases are ongoing. They are publicly available.
▶ 4:13:59Sen. Padilla: They would be pardoned, are you aware that 97 january 6 there's have been accused of new crimes since january 6, 2020 one? Including violent crimes, child molestation, that sounds like the worst of the worst to me.
▶ 4:14:17Ag. Blanche: If anybody commits a crime they should be investigated, arrested, prosecuted. They should be arrested and prosecuted.
▶ 4:14:29Sen. Padilla: I look forward to that as well. We will follow up with questions for the record. Our courtesy meeting a few weeks ago you said independence of the department was a misnomer because the presence -- president sets policies. Your view that carries out the president's goals, do you recall that conversation?
▶ 4:14:56Ag. Blanche: Nice try.
▶ 4:15:01Sen. Padilla: That's exactly what I recall. Should be independent or not?
▶ 4:15:08Ag. Blanche: The department of justice is under the executive branch. Absolutely, my obligation as the american people. It is a member of the united states.
▶ 4:15:26Sen. Padilla: In the department of justice own website states that the department's core missions is independence and impartiality. Let me bring a specific example. Last fall president trump issued a statement where he said I am steadfastly devoted to uplifting survivors of domestic violence and ensuring they know they are
▶ 4:15:56Sen. Padilla: Never alone. It provides critical resources to our organization to support victims. Yes or no?
▶ 4:16:20Sen. Padilla: Are you aware of the office is substantially delayed in notifying grant recipients intended to begin october 1 of last year?
▶ 4:16:28Ag. Blanche: We are rolling grants out on a rolling basis. We will continue to do so. We didn't have congrats authorized until january of this year.
▶ 4:16:43Sen. Padilla: Are you aware of the result of delays and reduced services for domestic violence victims?
▶ 4:16:49Ag. Blanche: I am not aware of that, no. Are you aware many notices of funding opportunities for the fiscal year have yet to be posted for grants that are supposed to begin on october 1 of this year?
▶ 4:17:07Ag. Blanche: I know we are posting, caught up from the last fiscal year. The budget wasn't approved until january of this year. We had to finish last years first.
▶ 4:17:20Sen. Padilla: Are you aware that most on a bipartisan basis have reached out to the office about delays.
▶ 4:17:33Ag. Blanche: I have testified publicly about it on multiple occasions. I just gave you the timeline today. We are doing it every day on a rolling basis. We anticipate having all of them done by the end of the year.
▶ 4:17:55Sen. Padilla: I know my time is running out, let me just end with this. The attorney general of the united states to operate free from partisan consideration and protect citizens rights to equal justice. I have heard today that it creates confidence in the ability to carry out that duty and put federal law before loyalty to the president.
▶ 4:18:25Sen. Padilla: Facts of the judiciary, district courts in 31 cases have been recognized that the administration has violated court rulings. They refused to abide by court rulings. In immigration cases alone, they have admitted violating court orders in addition over 50 times.
▶ 4:18:54Sen. Padilla: This does not sound like a department of justice. The american people deserve better. If I'm not fortunate enough to be confirmed then, I'm not buying that.
▶ 4:19:15Sen. Padilla: C1 the american people deserve an attorney general above political think you are fit for this job. >> I've been asked by senator grassley to answer -- enter into the record a letter supporting Mr.
▶ 4:19:39Sen. Padilla: Blanche's nomination, which represents the largest law enforcement organization and tens of thousands of officers across the country. It highlights his qualifications to serve as attorney general and unique quote -- approach to the current system states we believe he will serve with honor and fairness and a steadfast commitment to the rule of law.
▶ 4:20:07Sen. Padilla: This will undoubtedly enhance collaboration between law enforcement and the department of justice, ensuring communities remain safe while reinforcing public confidence in our own system. This letter will be admitted into the record. Senator moody, you recognized.
▶ 4:20:19Sen. Moody: Good to see you again and good to talk to you about your nominations, Mr. blanche. Everything I warned about seems to be proving true. Good faith and he wants is being thrown out the door and that's the price to be played for clicks and tweets and promotion of some partisan agenda today.
▶ 4:20:45Sen. Moody: I quote from one of my colleagues, protecting one man for most of your career career s protecting one man? If not, why not?
▶ 4:21:02Mr. Blanche: Absolutely not. I'm a career prosecutor. I started out as an intern down the street at the department of justice. I was a law clerk. When I was representing president trump I had other clients. The fact that represented president trump for eight -- a period of time does not define me. I should be defined as a prosecutor and the work I've done since march of last year.
▶ 4:21:31Sen. Moody: I think one of the true crises we face as a nation and you can pick the subject matter in which this will apply but the american people who are supposed to be where the power lies in this country, how the government was set up in first and foremost to protect their rights and as part of that our founding fathers said to do that you have to have a government that effectuate
▶ 4:22:02Sen. Moody: Safety. I truly believe your agency is one of the most important in our government structure for those reasons. You have the responsibility of all of them. One of the most serious challenges facing our nation now is that the people don't trust that washington is indeed working for them or being accountable to them or being serving their interests first.
▶ 4:22:36Sen. Moody: I just came from hearing where you had nick sherley, james o'keefe, the partisan swath of witnesses testifying about fraud in this country. I think this administration is making announcement after announcement. You are making announcement after announcement. The extent of fraud uncovered. I commended nick shirley. He describes himself as an independent journalist but he started out disrupting weddings.
▶ 4:23:11Sen. Moody: I think that spirit of challenging the status quo or formality has driven him to disrupt what I think the american people believe is a bureaucracy historically that has not only maybe because of its size or personnel and they are not too quick to want to uncover but has really been not inclined, complacent or set up to not uncover and go after some of this fraud.
▶ 4:23:40Sen. Moody: I have been astounded by the amount this administration has uncovered. I commend people like nick shirley and james o'keefe that have been out there, because they are american citizens and believe their government owes them accountability and stewardship of taxpayer money. First and foremost. He said I can't believe that for so long nobody paid attention to this.
▶ 4:24:07Sen. Moody: We are seeing fraud that is something we have not imagined. I'm really proud of this administration and the doj specifically under your leadership for setting up a specific division now to go after these things that are raised. The results speak for themselves.
▶ 4:24:32Sen. Moody: You have established a national fraud enforcement division charged with a comprehensive approach to routing out fraud. We saw 2026 national health care fraud take down for you charged 455 defendants in connection with schemes involving $6.5 billion in fraud. We brought together the most states and territories ever in the history of the department's existence going after fraud. That was under your leadership. This administration.
▶ 4:25:04Sen. Moody: I think that delivers a remarkable message not only to the people out there committing these -- this fraud against the american taxpayer and against the next generation that will inherit this. I'm a mother of a teenager. I feel terrible that they are going to inherit all this, because before biden never pushed out swaths of money that went to corruption and fraud in american -- an american taxpayer had to earn it. We had to borrow that on the backs of the next generation.
▶ 4:25:35Sen. Moody: I am proud of the department saying enough is enough. They're free ride is over. We will take not only -- we will not only talk about it but we will actually show you and create an entire different division. It speaks volume he had the new head of your fraud division with you today in the audience. America should know that. That did not exist before you. I would like for you to tell the american people now a little bit about that.
▶ 4:26:02Sen. Moody: I have to tell you, when some of these states learned about this fraud going on, when nick shirley exposed this insane fraud happening under state administration government noses, the reaction from state leadership -- the governor of minnesota called shirley far right delusional conspiracy theorist.
▶ 4:26:29Sen. Moody: Maybe because he campaigned on the small businesses is set up with that money so they american people -- we are growing small businesses. Make me your vice president. Maybe that is why he had did knock shirley down a notch. Governor newsom said shirley is the fraud. He tried to ridicule and demean this 24-year-old kid who is just uncovering fraud. These are chief executives of states.
▶ 4:27:00Sen. Moody: I would like for you to be slain what you are doing differently, because right now I came from a hearing where not one democrat was in the room. To ask this bipartisan witness panel about the fraud that is happening or what we can do about it. Not one democrat was in the room. We have got elected officials around the state when people are trying to bring it to their attention calling out the people bringing it to their attention.
▶ 4:27:30Sen. Moody: Not only that, trying to pass legislation to stop them uncovering it. In california, they have a stop nick shirley act, which should be called the protect fraudsters packed, I assume. Tell us what you are doing different and how you are going to work to uncover and root out and go against criminals in the states where these elected officials are complicit.
▶ 4:27:58Sen. Moody: Maybe aiding and abetting because they are going up to the people that are trying to raise the issues.
▶ 4:28:01Mr. Blanche: Yes. Before we talk about california and minnesota, it's worth talking about states that are working with us. Places like florida, like ohio where we are working closely with the local governments, getting information about individuals who are committing fraud, applying for money for the federal government. What president trump and the vice president did last fall was say enough is enough.
▶ 4:28:30Mr. Blanche: We need an all-out government approach to combat fraud. Part of that is our new fraud division and the work they are doing -- this is what you just described and some of the stuff nick shirley has uncovered has been incredible. It's going into the states and identifying low hanging fruit. Fraudsters that have set up daycare centers, set up autism centers --
▶ 4:28:54Sen. Moody: Hearing centers.
▶ 4:28:56Mr. Blanche: All they are doing -- there is no patients. They are collecting money off the backs of taxpayers. It's true. The governor minnesota did nothing but obstruct our efforts month after month. When we did it takedown and we executed a law enforcement action on a given day, he hopped on debt x and said he was happy to partner with us. He is not partnering with us, not working with us. That is very disappointing. Same thing with the governor california.
▶ 4:29:27Mr. Blanche: With the amount of fraud stolen from the generosity of taxpayers around this country is in the billions of dollars. Listen. Without talking about that, what we can say that is extort nearly positive is we have arrested hundreds and hundreds of fraudsters just this year alone. We have a lot more to do between now and the end of the year.
▶ 4:29:48Mr. Blanche: That is the work of the federal agents, the inspectors general's dhs, hsi, fbi, and are prosecutors who are now have been given full authority and unleashed to tackle this problem. There is no fraud to small. Collin mcdonald says it and it's right. If you commit $1001 and fraud, you should inspect to go to federal prison. We are going up to the biggest fraudsters and small is fraudsters.
▶ 4:30:15Mr. Blanche: Any dollar that is taken and appropriately is something this department of justice will not tolerate. It is a big effort and it's going to take a lot of work. We are hiring a lot of prosecutors but I expect we will continue to see the results we are already seeing. Thank you very much for the work you guys have done as well to help facilitate our success there. >> senator welch.
▶ 4:30:40Sen. Welch: Thank you very much, deputy attorney general. I want to talk about the empire -- anti-weaponization fund. You've had a long-standing relationship with president trump. Served as his personal criminal attorney, right?
▶ 4:31:00Mr. Blanche: I met him for the first time a couple of years ago.
▶ 4:31:01Sen. Welch: In the course of your representation you earned over $9 million, correct?
▶ 4:31:11Mr. Blanche: My law firm was paid that much. There were six or seven hours.
▶ 4:31:14Sen. Welch: That was in financial disclosures. I don't have a problem --
▶ 4:31:19Mr. Blanche: I was paid that. They went to my employees.
▶ 4:31:28Sen. Welch: You have a close relationship with the president but you are entitled to that in the president is entitled to appoint as attorney general a person in whom he has a trust. That's not an issue for me. On the anti-weaponization fund, there is the question of whether the president who is suing the taxpayers, the irs for $10 billion and where is formally personal lawyer is representing the taxpayers, is there a
▶ 4:32:00Sen. Welch: Conflict of interest? My understanding is before you actually got here, you got ethics training after you are acting deputy attorney general, correct?
▶ 4:32:13Mr. Blanche: Yes.
▶ 4:32:15Sen. Welch: You are advised you should not be engaged in matters that affected the president in an individual capacity. Is that correct?
▶ 4:32:25Mr. Blanche: I'm not sure your understanding is based upon but no. There are clear ethics rules I was required to follow and I did follow.
▶ 4:32:34Sen. Welch: It's based on a letter from Mr. terrel. You received ethics training. Normal ethics includes you do not represent someone with whom you have been representing them before. On a personal matter, right?
▶ 4:32:50Mr. Blanche: I'm not trying to get overtechnical but there are rules about ethics requirements and I followed them.
▶ 4:32:56Sen. Welch: Maybe you can provide with the ethical materials.
▶ 4:32:59Mr. Blanche: I can tell you right now.
▶ 4:33:01Sen. Welch: Send us the materials. If you had an issue -- there was a dispute with paramount. Would you have a lawyer from the justice department who owned $9 million in stock negotiate on behalf of the government with that company?
▶ 4:33:18Mr. Blanche: It depends. As long as there is an ethical and no reason --
▶ 4:33:24Sen. Welch: If I had $9 million in stock impairment and I represented the people, there is an adverse relationship -- adversarial relationship, you would let me negotiate on behalf of the people in the outcome of those negotiations would have an impact on my stock price?
▶ 4:33:40Mr. Blanche: If a lawyer for the department of justice has $9 million in paramount stock they should not be on the case, I agree.
▶ 4:33:48Sen. Welch: What happened here with the president is mystifying to many of us. It would be analogous if the governor of vermont to the department of taxes for $10 billion. We don't appoint attorney generals but a generals but let's say we do and the governor's personal attorney -- let me finish my question. The governor sues the department of taxes for $10 billion.
▶ 4:34:14Sen. Welch: His former personal attorney is now his attorney general and ends up settling by setting up in the control essentially of the governor for $1.7 billion. That doesn't sound fishy to you?
▶ 4:34:31Mr. Blanche: What you just described, I don't think it's appropriate to use the word fishy. It ethical or not ethical.
▶ 4:34:39Sen. Welch: It just stinks. That is truly bizarre. The chief executive gets his appointed person who was formerly his personal attorney to negotiate on his behalf where the end of the day taxpayers are going to pay.
▶ 4:34:55Mr. Blanche: The other thing I will correct is used the word as if I negotiate. I was not part of the negotiation, which I said the poor. -- said before.
▶ 4:35:05Sen. Welch: Your department did. That is your signature. You are at the top of the pile here. You don't get involved it on the phone calls in the details but you have to do due diligence to satisfy yourself that you can sign off on on the agreement, and you did. That is your responsibility.
▶ 4:35:23Mr. Blanche: I do have response ability for it. I agree with that.
▶ 4:35:28Sen. Welch: Let's talk about the pardons. I understand the president -- any president has total authority to pardon anyone he or she wants. That includes commuting sentences and restoration of gun rights. You know who mel gibson is. Mel gibson was convicted of domestic violence.
▶ 4:35:56Sen. Welch: What he did was he punched his then girlfriend in the teeth, threatened her with a gun while she had their infant in her arms. The president can restore Mr. gibson's gun rights. That is not your decision.
▶ 4:36:19Sen. Welch: My understanding is, you have a pardoning attorney who when requests were made to restart gun rights to a gun rights to domestic abusers, they would be vetted. Mental health issues and other issues. 500% increase in homicide rates of a domestic abusers who have guns.
▶ 4:36:45Sen. Welch: One of your people asked to provide a letter that basically said, ok, we can restore his gun rights. Is that correct?
▶ 4:36:57Mr. Blanche: That happened the day I was starting. His lawyer has claimed --
▶ 4:37:04Sen. Welch: It was two days after.
▶ 4:37:07Mr. Blanche: I didn't even know. I knew nothing about mel gibson for that letter when I fired her. Nothing.
▶ 4:37:17Sen. Welch: So why did you fire her?
▶ 4:37:20Mr. Blanche: A number of reasons.
▶ 4:37:21Sen. Welch: You been there for two days.
▶ 4:37:23Mr. Blanche: It had nothing to do with mel gibson. The decisions she had made as pardon attorney in the weeks and months leading up to the end of president biden's term were completely inconsistent with president trump's authority, including commuting every single individual on death row, which even president biden did not do.
▶ 4:37:42Sen. Welch: I will let the americans be the jury weather that sounds right. Two days after you were there, she got fired. She was told to do a letter that was basically going to validate the decision the president made to restore gun rights to a man who smashed his girlfriend's mouth and threatened her with a gun. And did it with her holding their infant.
▶ 4:38:14Mr. Blanche: It had nothing to do with why she was fired.
▶ 4:38:15Sen. Welch: What is also documented is that she was going to testify here in congress before a roundtable. People were dispatched, federal marshals, to go to her home at night. It turns out she was not there. Her 11-year-old son was there alone. Fortunately at the last minute that access to her house -- the trip was canceled.
▶ 4:38:44Mr. Blanche: That's not true. If you want me to answer with the truth, I can.
▶ 4:38:49Sen. Welch: What part is not true?
▶ 4:38:59Mr. Blanche: When we learned she was going to testify about privileged communications like any time an employee would violate ethical duties, we drafted a letter. We tried to serve her via email and contact her. She would not answer her phone. The way the department of justice serves people in every case is with deputy united states marshals. We endeavor to do that and then she accepted the service.
▶ 4:39:16Sen. Welch: Kash patel. I want to go back to senator whitehouse's concerns. I have concerns about the reports about his drinking, about the incredibly bad morale. You are a supervisor so you have some responsibility to be reviewing his behavior.
▶ 4:39:34Mr. Blanche: I don't he has issues drinking or with morale.
▶ 4:39:38Sen. Welch: Here is what is clear. He was at the white house for eight hours after report came out in the new york times that talked about the $400 million qatari plane not having certain defensive capabilities. Issued subpoenas to reporters demanding they turn over their news sources.
▶ 4:40:04Sen. Welch: I happen to believe it is extremely important to protect the right of the press to have confidential sources in order to get out information that is absolutely in the public interest. Do you support Mr. patel's efforts to subpoena and get reporters under the grill to disclose who their confidential sources are?
▶ 4:40:28Mr. Blanche: The department requires I authorize it, which I did. We are not targeting reporters. They are material witnesses, just like a material witness to a car crash. They are witnesses.
▶ 4:40:42Sen. Welch: The question you want to ask them is who were there sources. It goes to the heart of the first amendment.
▶ 4:40:50Mr. Blanche: Know the question is who provided them with classified national security information which everybody in this body should want to protect. I would hope. >> senator hawley.
▶ 4:41:03Sen. Hawley: Good to see you. You are getting towards the end here. Are you sure you want this job?
▶ 4:41:14Mr. Blanche: I do.
▶ 4:41:16Sen. Hawley: I want to start with jack smith and the latest revelations of his illegalities which seem to have no end. I have had my text messages by him scooped up, read, who knows what he did with them. I've had my cell phone monitored. He tracked my calls, my metadata, my location. Lord knows what else. The part that offends me as he did not just do it to me and members of congress. He did it to ordinary americans.
▶ 4:41:44Sen. Hawley: I've had missourians tell me I had fbi agent to show up at my door, knocked on my door it, and say you and washington, D.C. in january of 2021? These people did nothing wrong and were not even here. They say, what is going on? I can afford an attorney. He lies about it. He has lied and lied about it. I want to make good that claim.
▶ 4:42:09Sen. Hawley: Here is a record of jack smith responses under oath now to members of congress. He's asked question, as it relates to members and their staffs and senators, it is just the toll records as far as you remember. Smith, that is my recollection. "did the records you requested include the content of text messages?" smith.
▶ 4:42:36Sen. Hawley: "no." now maybe there is some nuance are missing here. It sounds a lot to me like this guy did not tell the truth. Have you thought about investigating this guy for perjury?
▶ 4:42:48Mr. Blanche: We take testimony in front of this body very seriously, yes.
▶ 4:42:53Sen. Hawley: I think he absolutely should be investigated and should be prosecuted, and based on his responses under oath I think he should be. It is time we say these people who did this, who engaged in this mass illegality, blatant violations of the separation of powers, blatant violation of the constitution, we know what they did to president trump and to every innocent americans and that is before even touched the issue of trying to recruit spies into catholic parishes, sending
▶ 4:43:23Sen. Hawley: Members of the antiterrorism division to go hound parents who went to school board meetings. It's unlike anything we have seen in american history. My view is there needs to be accountability for it. I hope you investigate jack smith for perjury and will possibly prosecute him. Let me switch and talk about a missouri specific issue. My state has a number of laws that protect the unborn. We are very pro-life state in missouri.
▶ 4:43:51Sen. Hawley: That includes laws that limit the use of the chemical abortion drug, the circumstances under which it can be prescribed. You need to see a physician under missouri law. Joe biden gutted all of those restrictions and took away president trump's safety restrictions on this chemical abortion drug and instituted a mail-order abortion policy. My state went to court to try to defend our states laws and a number of other states did this, republican states.
▶ 4:44:20Sen. Hawley: The president changed, thank goodness, now we have president trump. That means that now we have the state of missouri, a republican state, along with other conservative republican states in court against a republican administration fighting over joe biden's abortion policy. While I'm on the subject, I want to show you why it matters to missouri. Here is what happened to look at the abortions.
▶ 4:44:50Sen. Hawley: A dramatic increase. Under joe biden's abortion rules, it doesn't matter what the voters in my state do. You could just mail in this abortion drug no prescription, no follow-up prescriptions, no medical support at all. You could mail these in from overseas. That's where many of them come from.
▶ 4:45:17Sen. Hawley: Since the policy was put in place, massive increases in the number of abortions. Here's what I want to get with you. I just hate that we have these republicans, I hate this policy. I hate that we have republican states in court against a republican administration. It seems to me there has to be some solution to this.
▶ 4:45:41Sen. Hawley: I just want to ask you what do you think that is, how do you think we can get to some solution here from all of this mess and find our way out?
▶ 4:45:50Ag. Blanche: I share your concerns, as does this entire administration. We have the most pro-life president in history. You are one of the most pro-life senators in this body. I don't want to talk about litigation strategy. I will say is we have said in our briefing, we are not defending what biden did and will not.
▶ 4:46:17Ag. Blanche: The fda has a process that we are letting them go forward in. It takes a year. They have committed to doing it in significantly less time. I am saying president trump's administration in its entirety will protect the life of the unborn and work with states and obviously you to make sure we do that in the best way.
▶ 4:46:47Ag. Blanche: I want to get to a solution as well. I don't think this is the right form to talk about litigation strategy.
▶ 4:46:57Sen. Hawley: I think this is an important point. You are not defending that in court, you are not defending that?
▶ 4:47:09Ag. Blanche: It is in all of our pleadings that we are not.
▶ 4:47:16Sen. Hawley: The fda commissioner said that biden's rule says the legal matter lacked consideration, the hhs secretary said biden's rules invite potential dangers by offering medical support or supervision. You do not defend this policy?
▶ 4:47:36Ag. Blanche: Correct.
▶ 4:47:40Sen. Hawley: You have no issue with president trump's earlier rule that had common sense safety restrictions, you had to see a doctor, get a prescription, there had to be a follow-up visit. Those are in place before they gutted them. There is no issue with any of those? That leads me to this question, why not while the fda is doing its review, why not put president trump's rules in place?
▶ 4:48:09Sen. Hawley: Why not do that rather than leave employees in these rules?
▶ 4:48:14Ag. Blanche: This gets to my original point when I don't think it's appropriate to talk about our litigation strategy except to say that we want to get to a good result consistent with president trump's administrative directive and priorities. We very much believe the biden rules were wrong. We are continuing.
▶ 4:48:40Sen. Hawley: Do you have any thought about what a solution to good result might be. How are we going to get out of the litigation? I hate the fact that all these republican states are litigated against the republican administration. We have to find some way to end that.
▶ 4:49:01Ag. Blanche: I hope the work the fda is doing now, we have studies we could defend in court. We have to say to a judge probably in this district that we are trying to let fda, we being the department of justice do their work so we could have continued to protect the lives of children and frankly the state's laws. Really what is being violated here at its core.
▶ 4:49:31Sen. Hawley: One other thing on this. You have seen these stories, news reports about women who are assaulted by their boyfriends or whomever. The boyfriend doesn't want it. They take the drug, crush it up or what have you. One example, rosalie got pregnant. She was excited. She did not want to have an abortion. Her boyfriend did not want that. Without telling her he laced the drug into her drink.
▶ 4:50:03Sen. Hawley: It caused her to begin to miscarry. This is of salt. Multiple states have brought dozens of criminal charges against men who do this. My question is have you thought about devoting resources at the department of justice, putting together an initiative that might bring resources from the criminal division together, call it a protecting women and children initiative that would work then with his to go after
▶ 4:50:37Sen. Hawley: These coerced abortions, to protect these women, help states enforce their laws and go after these criminals who are using joe biden's policies to commit assault left, right, center?
▶ 4:50:52Ag. Blanche: I very much committed to looking at that. I'm aware of that story, it is horrible. A lot of that is not necessarily a federal crime. When you can get resources, it is immensely helpful and you had tremendous success with that already.
▶ 4:51:22Ag. Blanche: I think if you were to stand up and have somebody go after these bad actors, that would do a lot for women and children.
▶ 4:51:44Chair Grassley: This supports the nominees from civil rights lawyers who litigated against the justice department. Across multiple presidential administrations. They have gone a long way to restoring faith in the rule of law.
▶ 4:52:09Chair Grassley: The pro-life cause for which is relegated to a second status. That will be entered into the record, senator schiff.
▶ 4:52:22Sen. Schiff: You represented the president in at least three criminal cases, the hush-money payments case, the mar-a-lago classified documents case. You said he would consult with ethics lawyers about that apparent conflict of interest in handling any case involving the president and his personal counsel. Did you consult with joseph tyrell?
▶ 4:52:48Ag. Blanche: I believe I met with him.
▶ 4:52:54Sen. Schiff: Did he tell you ethics laws require you not be involved in cases involving your prior representation. In those three matters the hush-money payments case, you had to recuse yourself.
▶ 4:53:11Ag. Blanche: Correct. Those cases are not ongoing. --
▶ 4:53:24Sen. Schiff: You said a couple months ago the other things happening, there was not a single man or woman who had anything to do with those prosecutions. The prosecution of the president. She was saying it is not a conflict of interest for you. To be involved in the firing of prosecutors who prosecuted your client, your former client. There is no conflict?
▶ 4:53:46Ag. Blanche: I wasn't involved, that would be a conflict.
▶ 4:53:52Sen. Schiff: You are taking credit for the firing of the department of justice's but not willing to do this.
▶ 4:54:03Sen. Schiff: You were bragging about this, the getting rid of everyone who investigated your client, you are proud of that. Speaking for the department of justice but you don't think that is a conflict of interest. You move to vacate, I don't think you will deny involvement in this. You move to vacate the convictions of 12 proud boys and oath keepers that restored their gun rights.
▶ 4:54:32Sen. Schiff: This also involve the president who you represented. You are involved in dismissing those cases, were you not?
▶ 4:54:38Ag. Blanche: I was the acting attorney general so yes, my department moved to dismiss.
▶ 4:55:00Sen. Schiff: There are rules and when you are told to recuse yourself, you are supposed to recuse yourself. You have also said he refused to release going to the special counsel's report. The investigation into the mar-a-lago documents case. How is that not an abundant conflict of interest, refusing to release to the public and investigative report on investigation into your client?
▶ 4:55:31Ag. Blanche: I am not a federal judge.
▶ 4:55:36Sen. Schiff: The department's position under you was do not release the report. If you went into court asking them to release it it would be released by now. How is that not a patent conflict of interest?
▶ 4:55:48Ag. Blanche: What you are saying happens to not be true. I did not do that. I'm recused and I'm having nothing to do with that case. You can't accuse me of violating ethical rules and lie about what I did.
▶ 4:56:04Sen. Schiff: You had nothing to do with the decision to prohibit the release of the report?
▶ 4:56:08Ag. Blanche: I wasn't in court.
▶ 4:56:12Sen. Schiff: I'm asking you whether anyone sought your opinion or use your guidance in refusing to release volume two.
▶ 4:56:19Ag. Blanche: When that litigation was ongoing I was a private citizen still representing these president of the united states. Since march to the extent there has been anything. I asked you whether you would release her last report and answer was no. Your answer was no I will not release the report. That was your testimony last time before this committee.
▶ 4:56:46Ag. Blanche: He subsequently were advised by ethics lawyers not to be involved. It appears you were involved in these matters.
▶ 4:56:51Ag. Blanche: I wasn't involved.
▶ 4:56:56Sen. Schiff: Let me ask you another one.
▶ 4:56:59Ag. Blanche: The truth test of matter at some point.
▶ 4:57:04Senator Schiff: It does matter we just don't hear much of it from you. Another one, the irs settlement agreement. You put your name on this. That absolves the president's tax liabilities in the past. The president was convicted in the case you represented him in of falsifying business records in part for tax purposes.
▶ 4:57:29Senator Schiff: Does the settlement not absolve the president of any liability for tax crimes associated with what he has already been convicted of. I'm happy to read the statement of facts. The participant took steps and mischaracterize the tax purposes the true nature of the payments made in furtherance of this schema.
▶ 4:57:51Ag. Blanche: That was not the president. It was somebody else.
▶ 4:57:57Sen. Schiff: Of the president is helping them cheat on taxes he is also exposed to liability, you know that as well as I do.
▶ 4:58:03Ag. Blanche: You can't be audited for that.
▶ 4:58:07Sen. Schiff: Of course you can. The agreement you signed on behalf of your former client, current client in a staggering example of self-dealing prohibits that. Does this tax agreement, addendum that you signed also hold him harmless from any audit or tax liability with respect to the billions in crypto money he made in his first year as president?
▶ 4:58:33Ag. Blanche: To the extent there are taxes filed by the president or his sons are the trump organization.
▶ 4:58:46Sen. Schiff: Before that agreement.
▶ 4:58:46Ag. Blanche: He hasn't filed taxes yet for money he made last year.
▶ 4:58:53Sen. Schiff: If he filed tax returns this year for money he earned last year liberty financial, all of those people earned and defrauded taxpayers on it. He faces no liability.
▶ 4:59:07Ag. Blanche: He is not protected.
▶ 4:59:12Sen. Schiff: There is this agreement that you absolved him of any liability over.
▶ 4:59:14Ag. Blanche: I just said he is not absolved. Two tax returns filed after the date of the agreement, no.
▶ 4:59:25Sen. Schiff: The tax returns filed in this calendar year before the spring. For a tax return filed this year for last year for the billions he made there is no tax liability even if he cheats or his kids do or his business do, he is absolving of that further potential liability?
▶ 4:59:44Ag. Blanche: No.
▶ 4:59:47Sen. Schiff: It is in the plain language. Did you write this?
▶ 4:59:51Ag. Blanche: He hasn't filed taxes yet. There's no protection based on this agreement.
▶ 4:59:57Sen. Schiff: Did you write this language?
▶ 4:59:59Ag. Blanche: Did I type it myself, no.
▶ 5:00:04Sen. Schiff: But you put your name to it?
▶ 5:00:05Ag. Blanche: I did.
▶ 5:00:08Sen. Schiff: Who wrote this?
▶ 5:00:08Ag. Blanche: I don't know the person who actually typed it.
▶ 5:00:14Sen. Schiff: Wasn't one of the president's lawyers or someone from the justice department?
▶ 5:00:20Ag. Blanche: I don't know the name of the person.
▶ 5:00:24Sen. Schiff: Did you debate with them the statute of limitations which clearly would preclude the president's claim, this $10 billion lawsuit?
▶ 5:00:32Ag. Blanche: We had extensive discussions about the litigation.
▶ 5:00:39Sen. Schiff: Did you reject the litigation?
▶ 5:00:40Ag. Blanche: I'm not a judge, I don't reject things.
▶ 5:00:47Sen. Schiff: You signed an agreement for the U.S. based on -- basically indicating the justice department's position of the statute of limitations applies, it doesn't matter.
▶ 5:00:56Ag. Blanche: I did not say that anywhere.
▶ 5:01:01Sen. Schiff: Who rejected the 25 defenses the irs had to this lawsuit? Who said these defenses, we are not going to accept, we will just go with the president's agreement?
▶ 5:01:12Ag. Blanche: There was a lot of discussion internally.
▶ 5:01:17Sen. Schiff: You made that decision.
▶ 5:01:18Ag. Blanche: What decision? What do you mean the act out
▶ 5:01:23Sen. Schiff: You made the decision not to defend the irs and the justice department. You said to sign this trust fund agreement. In doing that, you decided that you were going to be a lawyer for the president and lawyer for the irs and justice department. The court found in this case there were no adversarial relationship.
▶ 5:01:52Sen. Schiff: The court found it was a sham, what I don't understand todd blanche, what happened to the todd blanche who was a prosecutor of the southern district of new york? What happened to the prosecutor people had respect for, who once respected the rule of law? What happened to the prosecutor who said there wouldn't be a whiff of politico you -- political partisanship.
▶ 5:02:17Sen. Schiff: He prosecutes the president's enemies, what happened to the todd blanche of the southern district of new york that could convert him into you, someone willing to say the president has the right and duty to prosecute his political enemies.
▶ 5:02:32Ag. Blanche: I never said that.
▶ 5:02:39Sen. Schiff: What happened to you? I will tell you this, I think robert carroll had it right when he said power doesn't corrupt as much as it reveals. They revealed who you are and who you are is someone willing to sacrifice everything we once believed in for that title, for that position of attorney general. It is a sad story that we have seen from trump appointee after trump appointee.
▶ 5:03:07Sen. Schiff: We have seen people compromise themselves little by little and a lot buy a lot until they are sitting before this committee and trying to justify the unjustifiable. I yield back.
▶ 5:03:19Ag. Blanche: Meh just briefly respond?
▶ 5:03:22Chair Grassley: You made.
▶ 5:03:24Ag. Blanche: You asked me what happened to todd blanche, I am still here. I am the same person I was when I was a federal prosecutor. Do the right thing and do everything safe. When I was a prosecutor, my motivation and goal was the same with the people who work with me and work for me. Do the right thing.
▶ 5:03:51Ag. Blanche: Enforce the laws and put bad guys in jail. I did not interrupt you. When you asked me what has changed, you talk about a single document that I signed, somebody had to sign that document. I tried to do the right thing. What I do every single day and what the prosecutors in this country do every single day.
▶ 5:04:20Ag. Blanche: The indictments that have been filed is exactly what everybody in this building should want the department of justice to do, make our community safer, enforce the laws civilly and criminally and always do the right thing with integrity. I am the same todd blanche that I was when I was a federal prosecutor.
▶ 5:04:41Chair Grassley: Before I call on the last seven or to ask questions I would like to enter into the record the letter supporting the nominee from peter facinelli, retired law enforcement as a retired atf spatial agent, he worked alongside Mr. blanche when he was a prosecutor in the southern district of new york.
▶ 5:05:09Chair Grassley: The letter states I know todd blanche to be a quiet, thoughtful, soft-spoken man. Make no mistake belief that measured demeanor is a tenacious, fair, deeply ethical federal prosecutor.
▶ 5:05:28Chair Grassley: He is the kind of lawyer who does not seek the spotlight yet he consistently delivers results grounded in the law and the justice. Without objection, senator cruz.
▶ 5:05:48Sen. Cruz: Thank you for the job you are doing. It is rich saying senate democrats complaining about weaponization or politicalization after four years in which they were complicit in the greatest abuse we have ever seen of the department of justice.
▶ 5:06:07Sen. Cruz: I want to do something that was strikingly absent in much of the questioning from our democrat colleagues, actually focus on facts instead of made up stories. I want to compare where the department was under joe biden as to where it is now under your leadership.
▶ 5:06:29Sen. Cruz: During the biden administration, the justice department devoted to investigating and prosecuting president trump and his supporters, correct?
▶ 5:06:40Mr. Blanche: It is.
▶ 5:06:44Sen. Cruz: The department authorized operation arctic frost with investigated members of congress and other political figures, is that correct?
▶ 5:06:51Mr. Blanche: Yes.
▶ 5:06:55Sen. Cruz: The senior leadership, merrick garland, lisa monaco, chris wray, all personally approved the opening of this investigation, is that right?
▶ 5:07:04Mr. Blanche: That is correct.
▶ 5:07:08Sen. Cruz: This investigation involve nearly 200 subpoenas, targeted 400 republican aligned groups and individuals, is that right?
▶ 5:07:17Mr. Blanche: Yes.
▶ 5:07:20Sen. Cruz: The fbi obtained without our knowledge of 20% of the republicans in the senate. Including me in many of my colleagues on this committee as well as fbi director kash patel and white house chief of staff susan wiles, is that correct?
▶ 5:07:40Mr. Blanche: Yes sir.
▶ 5:07:45Sen. Cruz: Chairman grassley revealed more senators communications were targeted. Jack smith's reviewed the text messages of 44 members of congress. Including 19 republican senators. When the department of justice loses sight of criminals because it has turned into a partisan arm, people pay the price.
▶ 5:08:15Sen. Cruz: It also meant the department of justice was not doing its job in enforcing the law and putting criminals in jail. During the biden administration there were roughly 12 million encounters at the southern border, is that correct?
▶ 5:08:30Mr. Blanche: Yes.
▶ 5:08:33Sen. Cruz: 2 million illegal immigrants, the so-called got a ways. Fentanyl became the leading cause of death in the ages of 18-45, is that right?
▶ 5:08:46Mr. Blanche: That's correct.
▶ 5:08:48Sen. Cruz: Courtesy of the open border policies of leading drug dealers and human traffickers flood into this country because they believed it would benefit them politically. Violent transnational chemical organizations expanded their operations inside the united states, is that right?
▶ 5:09:11Mr. Blanche: It is absolutely correct.
▶ 5:09:14Sen. Cruz: Something we never hear from the democrat side of the aisle, the victims. Jocelyn hungary I have not heard one democrat under her name. The little girl tragically raped and murdered by two venezuelan gang members the violent -- biden administration release. Laken riley, the democrats can't even say her name.
▶ 5:09:45Sen. Cruz: Rachel moran brutally raped and murdered. These were daughters, these were students, these were murdered -- mothers. They would be alive if the department of justice had done its duty. Let's compare the lawlessness, the partisanship, the abuse of power of the bidens department of justice to what has happened in the last 18 months. Mr.
▶ 5:10:14Sen. Cruz: Blanche objectively the american people are safer today than they were 18 months ago, is that correct?
▶ 5:10:21Mr. Blanche: There is no doubt.
▶ 5:10:23Sen. Cruz: That's not simply empty rhetoric. Since president trump took office, federal law enforcement has arrested approximately 29,000 violent gang members, is that right?
▶ 5:10:35Mr. Blanche: That is correct.
▶ 5:10:37Sen. Cruz: The department has dismantled 27 hundred gangs, 365% increase over the comparable period of time in the previous administration, is that right?
▶ 5:10:49Mr. Blanche: That's correct.
▶ 5:10:51Sen. Cruz: Arrests increased by approximately 519%, is that right?
▶ 5:10:56Mr. Blanche: That is correct.
▶ 5:10:58Sen. Cruz: In 2025, the united states on the largest one-year drop in violent crime and murdered since 1937, homicides across america's largest cities fell more than 19%, is that right?
▶ 5:11:13Mr. Blanche: That is correct.
▶ 5:11:15Sen. Cruz: Robberies fell nearly 20%. Aggravated assault fell 10%. That trend continues with homicides falling by yet another 17.7%, robberies buy another 20% during the first quarter of 2026, is that right?
▶ 5:11:34Mr. Blanche: It is, yes.
▶ 5:11:37Sen. Cruz: The department has made protecting america's children one of its highest priorities. Since the beginning the fbi has located approximately 7000 child victims. A 42% increase, is that right?
▶ 5:11:52Mr. Blanche: Yes.
▶ 5:11:54Sen. Cruz: The fbi has arrested 3200 child predators and human traffickers, a 102 percent increase, correct?
▶ 5:12:02Mr. Blanche: That is correct.
▶ 5:12:04Sen. Cruz: In april alone, operation iron pursuit located 200 child victims interested 300 50 alleged child sex abuse offenders, is that right?
▶ 5:12:16Mr. Blanche: That is right.
▶ 5:12:17Sen. Cruz: Across texas, operation rescued 89 children and resulted in 270 six child exploitation arrests, is that right?
▶ 5:12:29Mr. Blanche: That is the correct stat.
▶ 5:12:32Sen. Cruz: After less than 18 months would be fair to say the department is once again focused on protecting the american people and faithfully enacting the laws?
▶ 5:12:44Mr. Blanche: That is exactly what we are focused on.
▶ 5:12:48Sen. Cruz: I will point out that one direct result of that also is deaths by drug overdoses have dropped 20%. There are literally thousands of americans who were alive today because of the job you and your colleagues at the department of justice are doing. I want to say thank you for focusing the department on saving people's lives and putting criminals in jail.
▶ 5:13:16Mr. Blanche: We have great prosecutors and great agents.
▶ 5:13:19Sen. Cruz: I want to go to a topic senator hawley asked you about. Which is the biden administration rule concerning the abortion pill. 18 usc section 1461 provides that every article or thing designed to adapt or produce abortion is declared to be not available.
▶ 5:13:51Sen. Cruz: I have to admit, that is statutory text looks quite state forward. It is straightforward. During the biden administration they concluded those provisions generally do not prohibit mailing abortion drugs unless the seller intends them to be used unlawfully, is that right?
▶ 5:14:12Mr. Blanche: Yes, that is correct.
▶ 5:14:15Sen. Cruz: They may be reconsidered when the attorney general concludes they are inconsistent with the law, is that right?
▶ 5:14:22Mr. Blanche: That is right.
▶ 5:14:24Sen. Cruz: Will you commit to carefully reviewing that into -- opinion of the actual statutory text?
▶ 5:14:33Mr. Blanche: Yes.
▶ 5:14:36Sen. Cruz: Likewise, as senator hawley asked, it remains pending before the fifth circuit. Without asking you to comment -- will you commit that the department will litigate every action available to ensure the enforcement of the comstock act and other federal pro-life acts?
▶ 5:14:59Mr. Blanche: Yes.
▶ 5:15:01Sen. Cruz: I want to point out the real consequences of the biden administration's lawless authorization of mail order abortions. According to the fda reporting, the abortion pill has taken more than 3.7 million unborn lives, cost 24 maternal deaths.
▶ 5:15:24Sen. Cruz: Moms are being killed, and resulted in at least 4195 adverse maternal reactions, including hemorrhage, excruciating, infections. The position of the democrats know seem to be that women and teenage girls should be able to get mail order abortions without a you the death toll from that is horrific and needs to stop.
▶ 5:15:54Sen. Cruz: Final question, will you commit as attorney general to faithfully and vigorously defending the second amendment right to keep and bear arms?
▶ 5:16:04Mr. Blanche: Yes, absolutely.
▶ 5:16:06Sen. Cruz: Thank you.
▶ 5:16:07Chair Grassley: Mr. blanche, thank you for your testimony today. To your family and friends who were here, I think you all is well. -- thank you all is well. You should be proud of your performance today. I think you performed admirably, showed this entire country you are eminently qualified to serve as attorney general.
▶ 5:16:36Chair Grassley: If confirmed, I'm confident you will continue to do a superb job. For everyone's information, written questions can be submitted for the record until 5:00 p.m. This friday, july 17. I hope as the nominee when you receive those questions, please answer and return them to the committee as soon as possible.
▶ 5:17:06Chair Grassley: This hearing is adjourned, but I want to say we will reconvene tomorrow, here at 9:00 a.m., for an executive business meeting. And hopefully that doesn't take very long. Immediately following that business meeting we will have a panel of outside witnesses on this nomination. Meeting adjourned. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap.org]