Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania announced Thursday that he would vote against confirming Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as the permanent head of the Justice Department. The Democratic senator made his position known to reporters gathered outside the Capitol.
Fetterman's declaration adds to mounting Democratic criticism of President Trump's expected nomination of Blanche for the role. The senator pointed to Blanche's efforts to establish a controversial fund as a key reason for his opposition.
Trump indicated his intention to nominate Blanche permanently to the position, telling Pod Force One podcast that he believed Blanche "will" become attorney general. "He's a very talented guy," Trump said, noting that Blanche was "doing a very good job" at the Justice Department. Blanche, a longtime Trump ally and former personal lawyer, was appointed to the acting position in April following Trump's firing of Pam Bondi.
Since taking the helm of the Justice Department, Blanche has overseen a series of actions that have drawn criticism. These include filing criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey, escalating investigations into former CIA Director John Brennan, and removing press releases related to prosecutions of people involved in the January 6 Capitol riot.
One particularly controversial initiative involved Blanche's effort to establish an $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump's allies, including those who participated in the Capitol attack. The plan sparked immediate legal challenges and fierce political opposition, including from Senate Republicans who objected to using taxpayer money to reimburse January 6 rioters. Blanche abruptly canceled the fund on Tuesday amid widespread condemnation.
Trump defended the proposed compensation during his podcast interview, characterizing the potential recipients as victims of political persecution. "These are people that have been decimated," he said. "There's never been anything like this, what happened to those people, and these were many great people."
The attorney general position serves as the nation's chief law enforcement officer and heads the Justice Department. Any confirmation of Blanche would require a simple majority vote in the Senate. With growing Democratic opposition and Fetterman's public declaration against confirmation, the Trump administration could face significant obstacles to securing Senate approval.
Blanche has also confirmed that the federal government maintains an agreement preventing the Internal Revenue Service from auditing Trump, his family, and related entities, according to statements he made during a House appropriations committee hearing.
The Senate has not yet scheduled a confirmation hearing for Blanche. Should Trump formally nominate him, the Judiciary Committee would hold hearings before the full Senate votes on the appointment.