Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley questioned Department of Justice Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche during Blanche’s nomination hearing to be U.S. Attorney General in Washington on July 15.
Blanche said he is committed to prioritizing antitrust enforcement, ensuring family farmers and consumers receive fair prices. He told Grassley he is working to provide transparency and accountability following revelations from the Arctic Frost investigation. Blanche also described efforts by the Department of Justice to comply with the Epstein Transparency Act, including reviewing over six million pages of documents and providing unredacted versions to Congress members. He confirmed that the department is investigating leads provided by Jeffrey Epstein’s victims and encouraged them to meet with the DOJ or Federal Bureau of Investigation.
During their exchange, Grassley asked about Special Counsel Jack Smith’s handling of sensitive congressional information related to the Trump classified document case. “The biggest thing we can do, Chairman, is [to] be transparent about what happened, and 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,” Blanche said. He added, “I think when the American people understand and learn what happened… it will be a check on making sure it never happens again.” On whether he was informed as defense counsel for President Trump about potential security violations in classified facilities or any investigation into alleged misconduct, Blanche responded, “We were never advised at that time when I was defense counsel to President Trump, and I’m not aware of any investigation that was started by that alleged conduct.”
Grassley raised concerns about anti-competitive practices in agriculture following an executive order issued after a committee hearing last October. When asked if antitrust enforcement would remain a priority if confirmed as attorney general, Blanche said, “Chairman, absolutely… I have worked closely with Secretary Rollins on this very issue… So yes, Chairman, I commit to that.” Regarding compliance with the Epstein Transparency Act’s requirements for releasing files related to Jeffrey Epstein investigations—including redactions—Blanche explained: “We reviewed over six million pages… The reviewers were qualified… There were mistakes that were made… approximately 1% of the redactions had to be fixed after we released the Epstein files… That doesn’t excuse the mistakes … but it does mean that we tried to fix them.” He stated unredacted versions are available for congressional review due to transparency concerns.
Grassley also questioned DOJ litigation strategies regarding mail-order abortion drug regulations challenged in Louisiana v. FDA. In response, Blanche said: “President Trump is the most pro-life president in history… [I]t would be wrong for me to talk about any litigation strategy beyond what’s in our briefs….we are not in any way defending what Biden and his administration did.” On allegations against Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team regarding FISA renewals without legal basis during investigations into Walid Phares and Tom Barrack, Blanche stated: “We are investigating that … but … it would be inappropriate …to get into details … But …the affidavit …does raise serious allegations.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee serves as a standing committee within the U.S. Senate responsible for judicial oversight; its legislative activities influence constitutional protections nationwide, according to the official website. The committee oversees federal law enforcement agencies like DOJ through hearings such as this one.