Todd Blanche, President Trump's former personal lawyer and his pick for attorney general, is set to appear for what could be a contentious confirmation hearing Wednesday amid questions about his handling of the Epstein files, the targeting of Trump's political foes and the broader politicization of justice.Blanche previously won Senate confirmation early in Trump's second term to serve as the No.2 official at the Justice Department, but it is unclear whether he can muster enough support this time to be confirmed for the top job.The confirmation hearing is set to start at 9 a.m.
ET.Watch it live:Democrats appear unified in opposition to his nomination.
That leaves Blanche's fate in the hands of a small number of Republicans who have voiced concerns about some of his actions at the department and could torpedo his nomination in the Senate, where the Republican Party has a razor-thin majority.Republican concerns largely center on Blanche's involvement in the creation of a nearly $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund as part of a settlement with Trump to end his lawsuit against the IRS over his leaked tax returns.After bipartisan pushback, Blanche said the fund isn't moving forward — but the part of the settlement that shields Trump, his family and his businesses from IRS audits of past tax returns remains in place.On Monday, a federal judge blasted the Justice Department over the settlement, saying it was an attempt to "earmark billions of dollars from American taxpayers to redress grievances not defined in the law."Sens.Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, are among the handful of Republican lawmakers to raise questions about the settlement.
They are both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Blanche will appear on Wednesday for his confirmation hearing.A single Republican "no" vote on the committee could kill Blanche's nomination.Blanche has led the Justice Department since April, when Trump pushed out his first attorney general, Pam Bondi, a...