Blanche kicks off Senate confirmation process with Grassley meeting

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche kicked off his Senate confirmation process for attorney general on Monday by meeting Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley.President Donald Trump nominated Blanche for the role last week. He has been serving in the position in an acting capacity since former Attorney General Pam Bondi was fired in April. Blanche previously served as Bondi’s deputy.
Grassley spoke favorably about Blanche’s career in a statement after the meeting, but noted that he was still waiting for the Justice Department to produce “some documents” he requested, according to The Hill.
“I appreciated the opportunity to sit down again with Todd Blanche, who’s spent the last year and a half supporting President Trump’s mission of law and order as Deputy Attorney General and now Acting Attorney General,” Grassley said. “Blanche is prepared to build on that success and continue working hard to keep American families safe as the next Attorney General.”
Grassley confirmed last week that the Senate committee is already processing Blanche’s nomination, which must be approved by the committee before going to a floor vote. The floor vote is expected to take place in July, per Grassley. 
Two of the acting attorney general’s Republican critics could disrupt the confirmation process: Sens. John Cornyn, of Texas, and Thom Tillis, of North Carolina. Cornyn said he will meet with Blanche later this week.
Cornyn said his largest concern is Blanche’s history as Trump’s former personal lawyer, which he noted last week is very different from the role of attorney general.
“Being AG is a unique job because you’re the president’s lawyer, you’re the chief legal officer for the United States, but you’re also a member of the president’s Cabinet, which means you could be fired at any time,” Cornyn told reporters.
“So it’s maybe the hardest balancing act in the Cabinet. So I’m interested in hearing how he would approach the job, because he was President Trump’s lawyer at one time, but if he’s AG, he won’t be the president’s lawyer.”
Blanche has previously denied seeking the role of attorney general, but said he would be “honored” to serve if confirmed.
Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.

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