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Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee will take place on Wednesday and Thursday.
I’m pessimistic any Republican on the Committee will object to formally installing Trump’s defense attorney as Attorney General. Thom Tillis, who plays a big game of opposing January 6, doesn’t find Blanche’s coddling of terrorists (most recently with the dismissal of the Proud Boy leader verdicts against those who appealed) disqualifying.
But Blanche’s role in covering up the Epstein files may still incur a political cost. I’ve described Katie Phang’s attempts to force Blanche to adhere to the Epstein Transparency Act here; her response to Blanche’s excuses for not doing so is due today, with Blanche’s reply due next Monday, so all that may take too long to stave off a Senate vote. The survivors have taken out a billboard trying to hold him accountable.
Perhaps most interesting, though, is a letter that New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez sent to Blanche last month, reported by MS-Now here, demanding that DOJ finally turn over files relevant to his investigation of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes in the state. It laid out a timeline showing how DOJ has given him the runaround, promising cooperation but ultimately giving him none.
I. February 13, 2026 — Written correspondence to then-Deputy Attorney General Blanche requesting access to a specific EFTA document and all related Zorro Ranch investigative materials.
II. March 13, 2026 — Formal letter to Attorney General Bondi identifying five illustrative redacted EFTA documents and requesting access to complete, unredacted versions of all pertinent records.
III. April 1, 2026 — Telephone conference with Associate Deputy Attorney General Diego Pestana, in which the USDOJ affirmed its commitment to cooperation and directed the NMDOJ to submit a formal Touhy letter through standard channels.
IV. May 3, 2026 — Comprehensive Touhy letter submitted to First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and FBI Albuquerque Special Agent in Charge Justin Garris, identifying specific EFTA document examples and requesting access to all relevant unredacted records. This letter sought a response from the USDOJ by May 11, 2026.
V. May 29, 2026 — Written follow-up to Acting Attorney General Blanche and Associate Deputy AG Pestana renewing the request after receiving no substantive response to the Touhy submission.
VI. June 4–5, 2026 — Meeting requests directed to your office seeking an in-person conference during Attorney General Torrez’s visit to Washington, D.C. No response was received. [my emphasis]
https://emptywheel.net/2026/07/13/trump-fired-pam-bondi-the-day-after-doj-agreed-to-share-epstein-files-with-new-mexico/
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Trump Fired Pam Bondi the Day After DOJ Agreed to Share Epstein Files with New Mexico