WATCH: Hickenlooper Slams Trump’s Attorney General Nominee on Senate Floor

Todd Blanche has flip-flopped on giving taxpayer funds to election criminals like Tina Peters and J6 rioters Blanche also wants abortion restrictions “permanent in every state” and was involved in Trump admin’s Epstein Files coverup WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper took to the Senate floor to oppose President Trump’s nominee to serve as Attorney General of the United States, Todd Blanche. “For months, Mr. Blanche has insisted the Department of Justice slush fund is dead. Yet as recently as this weekend, President Trump was saying the exact opposite,” said Hickenlooper on the Senate floor. “So when Mr. Blanche says the slush fund isn’t moving forward, don’t believe him. Not for one second. His word is worth about as much as the Trump Meme Coin.” Watch and download Hickenlooper’s speech on the Senate floor HERE In May, the Trump administration announced an unprecedented $1.8 billion fund to compensate election criminals like Tina Peters. The “Anti-Weaponization Fund” is part of a settlement that resolves President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns, and would be paid for by taxpayer money. January 6th insurrectionists who beat and killed police officers during the attack on the Capitol expect compensation from the fund, as well as election criminals like Tina Peters . In his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Blanche has declared the fund is “dead” and rescinded the order setting up the anti-weaponization fund this week through a letter. However, the settlement’s terms can be changed only via a written agreement from the Trump family and the government. On Saturday, Trump still supports the fund, saying: “It will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it done.” Hickenlooper introduced an amendment to the last Republican reconciliation bill that would permanently stop Trump from giving a taxpayer-funded payout to Tina Peters, which Republicans blocked. “At a time when working families are struggling with rising costs, the last people the federal government should subsidize are those who attack our elections,” continued Hickenlooper. “ The DOJ slush fund isn’t dead. It’s dormant. Until Congress permanently closes this avenue through legislation, we shouldn’t rely on assurances alone. If there’s even a chance this fund could be revived, this confirmation—this moment—is when this chamber and its members have the greatest leverage to act.” Last week on a private call hosted by the White House Faith Office , Blanche showed support for restricting medication abortion and said that he wants “to get permanent solutions so the Dobbs decision becomes permanent in every single state.” “When he says behind closed doors that he wants the Dobbs v. Jackson decision to become, in his words, “permanent in every state,” we should believe him. Whether it’s abortion access or access to the ballot box, we should have little confidence that he will not target Colorado—or other blue states—because that’s exactly what his employer wants,” said Hickenlooper on the Senate floor. After the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act , Blanche as Deputy Attorney General led the disclosure of documents of survivors’ names, photos and identifying information, but omitted the names of accused abusers and enablers. Blanche also enabled Trump’s refusal to release the Epstein files until Congress forced the disclosure. For a full video of Hickenlooper’s remarks, click HERE . A full transcript of his remarks as prepared for delivery is available below: “Mr. President, The Senate is currently considering the nomination of Todd Blanche to serve as Attorney General of the United States. The Attorney General is one of the most important positions in our government. Not only does the Attorney General serve as a trusted member of the President’s Cabinet, but he or she also leads the Department of Justice—the agency responsible for enforcing our laws impartially. That’s a difficult job in any administration. Under this President—who values personal loyalty above all else—it may very well be impossible. During his confirmation hearing, Mr. Blanche was asked about his relationship with President Trump. He responded, “I’m his lawyer,” before quickly correcting himself to say he previously was his lawyer. That wasn’t a slip. It was a tell. Mr. Blanche will not be an impartial check on the President. And here’s another tell. For months, Mr. Blanche has insisted the Department of Justice slush fund is dead. Yet as recently as this weekend, President Trump was saying the exact opposite. He defended the fund. So when Mr. Blanche says the slush fund isn’t moving forward, don’t believe him. Not for one second. His word is worth about as much as the Trump Meme Coin. During reconciliation, we introduced an amendment to permanently end the DOJ slush fund. Despite bipartisan support, it ultimately failed. That means taxpayers could still be on the hook for people who attacked our democracy. At a time when working families are struggling with rising costs, the last people the federal government should subsidize are those who assault our elections. People like election criminal Tina Peters, who tried to undermine Colorado’s free and fair elections. People like the January 6 rioters who stormed this very chamber in an attempt to tear apart our democracy. The DOJ slush fund isn’t dead. It’s dormant. Until Congress permanently closes this avenue through legislation, we shouldn’t rely on assurances alone. If there’s even a chance this fund could be revived, this confirmation—this moment—is when this chamber and its members have the greatest leverage to act. We should not surrender that leverage for promises that can be undone at the President’s whim. A DOJ letter promising to end the slush fund isn’t law. It isn’t binding. And it isn’t enough! To be clear, we don’t believe Mr. Blanche will break all of his promises. When he says behind closed doors that he wants the Dobbs v. Jackson decision to become, in his words, “permanent in every state,” we should believe him. Whether it’s abortion access or access to the ballot box, we should have little confidence that he will not target Colorado—or other blue states—because that’s exactly what his employer wants. We cannot allow a fox to guard the henhouse. We need an Attorney General who is loyal to the Constitution—not to President Trump. Mr. Blanche is not that person. I strongly oppose his confirmation and urge my colleagues to do the same. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.” ###