WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced President Trump's nomination of Todd Blanche for U.S. attorney general on a unanimous Republican vote. Blanche, Trump's former criminal defense lawyer, now awaits a full Senate confirmation vote.
Critics contend Blanche engineered corrupt deals during his tenure, including creating a slush fund to reward political allies of Trump. He is also accused of providing legal immunity to Trump, his family and their businesses on future tax issues.
Republicans on the committee backed Blanche despite allegations that he oversaw illegal stonewalling on the Epstein files and presided over the Justice Department's loss of credibility in federal courts, stemming from reported lying and prosecutorial misconduct tied to Immigration and Customs Enforcement brutality against immigrants.
Svante Myrick, president of People for the American Way, argued in a recent essay that congressional Republicans have proven unworthy to govern, citing the Blanche confirmation as evidence of what he called the Trump administration's corruption of the Republican Party.
The nomination, Myrick said, is part of a larger pattern in which congressional Republicans prioritize Trump's demands over independent oversight. Only a handful of Republican senators could have blocked Blanche's confirmation, Myrick said.
Myrick also pointed to the "One Big Beautiful Bill," passed by the 119th Congress, as another example. The legislation extended tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans while cutting funding for food assistance programs — a reduction that cost more than 4.5 million people their food benefits, including at least 1.5 million children, according to Myrick.
Trump reportedly highlighted the bill's benefits for wealthy individuals, citing a friend who used a Republican tax provision to purchase a private plane and write it off as a business expense.
The same legislation eliminated a tax credit supporting health insurance coverage, Myrick said, further demonstrating disregard for American families struggling with essential costs.
Myrick argued that congressional Republicans have abandoned their constitutional role as a check on executive power, with their actions serving Trump's interests rather than those of the country.
The 2026 midterm elections will give voters a chance to hold congressional Republicans accountable for their legislative record and their approach to presidential oversight, Myrick said.
