Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, faced sharp questioning from Democratic senators during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, where he defended FBI Director Kash Patel and addressed controversies surrounding the release of Jeffrey Epstein files and his own cryptocurrency holdings. Blanche, who has been nominated by President Donald Trump to become permanent attorney general, sparred with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse over Patel's conduct and travel expenses.
Clash over Kash Patel
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., grilled Blanche on his support for FBI Director Kash Patel, asking whether Blanche was comfortable with Patel's use of the FBI director's jet for personal trips, including a visit to Milan for the Olympics and a trip to watch his girlfriend perform. Whitehouse also questioned whether Patel had been drinking on the job or had lied to the committee. Blanche called Whitehouse's questions "extraordinarily obnoxious" and stated, "I have full faith in Director Patel and the work that he's doing every day." Whitehouse retorted, "Great, you get to own that." Patel is currently suing The Atlantic for $250 million over an article alleging he abuses alcohol.
Epstein files and crypto scrutiny
Blanche also defended the Department of Justice's handling of Jeffrey Epstein files, acknowledging that about 1% of redactions had to be fixed after release due to mistakes that exposed victim names. He said qualified attorneys conducted the reviews and that documents were taken down immediately when errors were found. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., criticized Blanche for holding cryptocurrency assets while issuing an order that dismantled the DOJ's crypto enforcement team. Durbin said Blanche had $160,000 in cryptocurrency and was told to divest, but questioned whether decisions to lessen scrutiny of the crypto industry created a conflict of interest. Blanche has not yet responded to Durbin's criticism at the hearing.
Controversy over anti-weaponization fund
Blanche faced questions about a proposed $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" meant to compensate victims of prosecutorial overreach, which he said he canceled after criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. The fund was part of a settlement in a lawsuit by Trump over leaked tax records. Durbin said Blanche told him he made a mistake and did not want the fund to go forward, but Durbin called Blanche's defense "very weak." A group of Epstein victims has urged the Senate to block Blanche's confirmation, citing the release of their personal information in the Epstein files. Blanche said he takes responsibility for the errors but noted that the DOJ worked hard to fix them. Trump has called for Blanche's confirmation, praising him as a "great lawyer."