WASHINGTON — Questions about the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files dominated acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, July 15, after the department acknowledged mistakes in the release of records linked to the late financier.
Blanche appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee seeking confirmation to permanently lead the Justice Department, but lawmakers repeatedly pressed him about the department’s handling of the Epstein records, the abandoned Anti-Weaponization Fund, and his close ties to President Donald Trump.
The Epstein issue drew particular attention after Blanche confirmed that errors had been made in the release of documents to the public.
He told senators that although mistakes occurred during the disclosure process, the administration had still been more transparent than any previous administration in the Epstein investigation.
“We want to make sure that the American people know that this administration, when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein, has been more transparent than any administration,” Blanche said as first reported by AP.
DOJ Acknowledges Redaction Errors in Epstein Files
The hearing followed growing scrutiny over the Justice Department’s release of records related to Epstein’s women-trafficking case.
Blanche said some documents had redaction errors that revealed sensitive material, including naked photographs of potential victims with their faces showing.
He also acknowledged that some names, email addresses, and other identifying information were either left unredacted or not fully obscured.
Blanche said that about 1% of the released records required additional corrections due to the mistakes.
Despite those errors, he defended the overall release of the documents, describing it as an unprecedented effort to make government records available to the public.
The Epstein files became a major focus of the hearing after former Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly told lawmakers that Blanche had overseen the release of the documents before taking over leadership of the department.
Democrats Question Blanche’s Independence
Democrats used the hearing to ask whether Blanche, who has been Trump’s personal defense attorney in several criminal cases, could work independently.
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Democrat on the committee, argued Blanche had remained too closely aligned with the president since joining the Justice Department.
“In less than 18 months at the Department of Justice, you’ve shown you’re still President Trump’s personal attorney,” Durbin said.
Durbin pointed to remarks Blanche made during an April news conference, in which he publicly expressed support for Trump.
Blanche rejected suggestions that political loyalty had influenced his work. He stated that the department was restoring public confidence after years of allegedly politically charged investigations involving Trump.
He said the department was correcting what he described as damage caused during previous administrations.
Republicans Press Blanche Over Anti-Weaponization Fund
Republican senators also challenged Blanche over the proposed $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, which was later abandoned following bipartisan criticism. They questioned why the administration had not formally guaranteed that the fund would never be revived.
Blanche insisted the proposal was no longer moving forward.
He said that Trump had no authority over the fund because it would have been administered by the Justice Department rather than the White House.
The proposed fund had been tied to a legal settlement involving Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over leaked tax records.
Blanche also faced questions about another part of that settlement that would have shielded Trump and members of his family from tax audits.
Leak Investigations Also Draw Attention
Lawmakers also questioned Blanche about the Justice Department’s increasingly aggressive pursuit of government leaks.
The department recently subpoenaed four New York Times journalists after the newspaper reported on security concerns involving the Qatari-gifted aircraft intended for presidential travel.
The subpoenas require the reporters to testify before a federal grand jury investigating possible unauthorized disclosures.
Press freedom advocates have criticized the move, arguing it threatens journalists’ ability to report on matters of public interest.
Blanche defended the department’s position, saying government officials entrusted with classified information are not permitted to disclose it to reporters.
Blanche Defends Trump-Era Investigations
Since becoming acting attorney general in April, Blanche has overseen investigations involving several longtime Trump critics.
Those include appointing a prosecutor to investigate former government officials and supervising the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey over a social media post prosecutors interpreted as threatening the president.
Blanche denied accusations that he has politicized the Justice Department.
He argued that while Trump has publicly expressed opinions about certain investigations, the department continues to make its own prosecutorial decisions.
The Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on Blanche’s nomination after senators complete their review of his testimony.
