Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday at 9 a.m. for a high-stakes confirmation hearing. The former criminal defense attorney for President Donald Trump is seeking support to lead the Justice Department on a permanent basis.
Blanche previously served as the Justice Department’s No. 2 official, having won Senate confirmation early in President Trump's second term to serve as deputy attorney general. In that role, he acted as one of Trump's most loyal enforcers, steering the department's day-to-day operations.
The hearing is expected to be contentious, with Blanche facing tough questions regarding his tenure as deputy. He is under scrutiny for purging career employees over their connections to Trump investigations and orienting the department toward punishing political rivals and investigating debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.