Press Release

Welch pressed Trump’s former personal attorney and Acting AG Todd Blanche on his conflicts of interest during tenure as Deputy AG WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee , grilled Acting Attorney General (AG) and AG nominee Todd Blanche on his role in the Trump Administration’s corruption of the pardon process at the Department of Justice (DOJ), and in negotiating a settlement between President Trump and the Internal Revenue Service. In his remarks, Senator Welch emphasized that Acting AG Blanche’s demonstrated loyalty to President Trump—his former client—is prioritized ahead of the Americans he has been entrusted to serve. “We cannot have a Justice Department that makes prosecutions of American citizens—whether they’re in office or not—on the basis of the political preferences of the president. Todd Blanche works for Donald Trump. He does not work for the American people,” said Senator Welch at a press conference following the hearing . Watch Senator Welch’s full remarks from the hearing below : Read and watch an excerpt from Senator Welch’s exchange with Acting AG Blanche about his involvement in the settlement granting President Trump legal immunity and creating the anti-weaponization slush fund: Sen. Welch: I mean, that is truly bizarre that the chief executive gets his appointed person—who was formerly his personal attorney—to negotiate on his behalf, where at the end of the day, taxpayers are going to pay. Acting AG Blanche: The other thing I’ll correct, though, is you used the word as if I negotiated. I wasn’t part of the negotiation, which I’ve said before. Sen. Welch: Your department is—you had to sign off on it. That is your signature. Acting AG Blanche: Yes, that’s true. Yes, that is my signature. Sen. Welch: I mean, look: you’re at the top of the pile here. So, you don’t get involved in all the phone calls and all the details, but at the end of the day ,you have to do due diligence and satisfy yourself that you, in good faith, can sign off on the agreement. And you did. So that is your responsibility and I’m sure you accept that. Acting AG Blanche: Correct. Yes, oh I do have responsibility for it. I agree with that. Sen. Welch: That’s right. ••• Senator Welch has called on Acting AG Blanche to resign and expressed strong opposition to Acting AG Blanche’s nomination to serve in the role permanently. In May, Senator Welch led all Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats in demanding that the DOJ Inspector General (IG) launch an immediate, thorough, and quick investigation into President Trump’s creation of the nearly $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” emphasizing how President Trump’s slush fund, created from a settlement agreement in T rump v. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) , represents waste, fraud, and abuse of an unprecedented magnitude and must be subjected to independent scrutiny. Last year, Senator Welch led Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee in requesting documents from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to determine the veracity of U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his nomination hearing in February 2025. Mr. Blanche testified at the hearing and in subsequent written answers to Members’ questions that he had no knowledge of the decision to dismiss the criminal charges against then-New York City Mayor Eric Adams, an assertion that has been contradicted by unsealed court documents—including a letter from then-Interim U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon to Attorney General Bondi—suggesting he was aware of the decision. The Senator subsequently led every Senate Judiciary Committee Democrat in calling on Inspector General Michael Horowitz to investigate the truthfulness of Mr. Blanche’s testimony at his confirmation hearing. ###