Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche forcefully pushed back against Senator Adam Schiff during a confirmation hearing on Wednesday, denying accusations of self-dealing and intentional refusal to recuse himself from cases involving President Donald Trump. Blanche, who is President Trump's nominee to lead the Justice Department, accused Schiff of misstating ethics rules and distorting key timelines in an exchange that grew increasingly tense.
Schiff, a California Democrat and graduate of Harvard Law School, pressed Blanche on whether he had consulted with Justice Department ethics lawyers about his prior representation of Trump in cases including the Stormy Daniels matter, the Mar-a-Lago classified documents investigation, and cases related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach. Blanche affirmed that he had met with ethics officials and stated that he has recused himself from any future litigation or Justice Department business involving those suits.
But Schiff countered that Blanche reportedly told a crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference that there was no conflict of interest in the Justice Department firing prosecutors linked to January 6 or other cases. Blanche soon fired back when Schiff criticized him for moving to vacate January 6-related convictions for 12 members of far-right groups, including the Proud Boys.
«I was the acting attorney general – so yes, my department moved to dismiss,» Blanche said, adding that there was no reason for him to recuse himself when Schiff pressed him further. When Schiff asked about the Proud Boys matter, Blanche responded with a puzzled look and said, «You're a lawyer, you know the rules. There are rules that say when I have to recuse and that's not one of them.»
Schiff agreed that rules exist but argued that when an official is told to recuse from investigations handled for the president, they are supposed to do so. Blanche cut in, saying, «I always do.» The exchange highlighted the deep partisan divide over the Justice Department's handling of cases involving Trump and his allies.
Schiff also raised the issue of the second volume of special counsel Jack Smith's report on Trump, which has not been released. He noted that the Justice Department has opposed making it available. Blanche denied having anything to do with that decision and pointed out that it is a federal judge in Miami, not the Justice Department, who has prohibited its release. «If you went into court asking them to release it, it would be released by now,» Schiff argued. Blanche shot back: «What you're saying happens not to be true – I did not do that. You can't accuse me of violating my ethical rules and then lie about what I did.»
Schiff then questioned what had changed in Blanche's professional life to draw such criticism. «What I don't understand, Todd Blanche, is what happened to the Todd Blanche who was a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York? What happened to the prosecutor people had respect for?» Schiff asked. He referenced investigations into former FBI Director Jim Comey's social media post that critics said amounted to a threat on Trump's life. «I think Robert Caro had it right when he said that power doesn't corrupt as much as it reveals. I suspect it has just revealed who you are,» Schiff claimed.
Blanche responded firmly: «I am still here. I am the same exact person I was when I was a federal prosecutor in the SDNY.» The exchange drew sharp reactions from other legal figures. First Assistant U.S. Attorney for Central California Bill Essayli said, «Facts are not Senator Schiff's strong suit.» Former Alabama federal prosecutor Jay Town called the exchange «excellent,» adding that Blanche was essentially saying the Justice Department has returned to fundamentals of increasing prosecutions and lowering crime nationwide, unlike the previous administration's focus on targeting parents and Catholics.
The hearing also touched on broader issues of Justice Department independence and the Trump administration's approach to federal prosecutions. Blanche's nomination has drawn significant support from Republicans, who see him as a reformer who will restore traditional law enforcement priorities. Democrats, however, have raised concerns about political interference in the Justice Department.
Outside the hearing room, Blanche also made news by announcing on social media that the Trump administration had fired a U.S. attorney in Seattle less than an hour after he was appointed by a panel of district court judges without the administration's blessing. Blanche criticized the judges for abandoning the «time-honored process of consultation» with the administration, stating that the selected prosecutor was not qualified to serve. The move underscored the administration's determination to assert control over federal law enforcement appointments.
