Headline Roundup • July 15th, 2026
Should Todd Blanche Be the Next Attorney General?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared before the Senate on Wednesday for his first day of confirmation hearings as he seeks permanent appointment as the head of the Justice Department. However, his potential appointment has caused split opinions within the Republican Party and between media outlets across the political spectrum.
A Threat to Justice: New York TImes (Left bias) particularly highlighted Blanche's personal ties to President Donald Trump, such as his work defending the president over his "hush-money payments" to Stormy Daniels. The Times argued that a variety of Blanche's actions since taking his position as acting Attorney General "represent an appalling politicization of law enforcement," claiming that he has helped Trump "violate decades of bipartisan tradition and use the Justice Department as an instrument of personal power."
A 'No-Brainer' The New York Post Editorial Board (Right) argued that if Blanche's hearing is fair, "even Democrats will see he's eminently qualified." The Editorial Board described Blanche as "the most regular Republican nominee anyone could expect Trump to tap," highlighting both Blanche's "distinguished" private-sector work and his 15 years of "sterling service" in the Justice Department. The board urged Republican doubters like Sens. Thom Tillis (NC) and Josh Hawley (MO) to "set their resentments aside" for the good of the country.
Unfit for the Job: A columnist for Reason (Center bias) published an opinion arguing that Blanche disqualified himself for the Attorney General position by proving he "is willing to subvert justice in service of the president's grudges." Reason used the $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" and the charges against James Comey, which Reason called "unconstitutional," as examples of Blanche's so-called "eagerness to please his boss" over the pursuit of justice.
The Epstein Controversy: Blanche has faced criticism for the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files. On Monday, a group of Jeffrey Epstein's victims released a video on Instagram urging Senators to reject Blanche's nomination.
RELATED: Acting AG Todd Blanche Says No More Epstein Files to be Released
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Featured Coverage of this Story
On Monday, two days before the Senate hearing to consider Todd Blanche's nomination to become the nation's chief law enforcement official, a federal judge strongly suggested that he may not even be fit to practice law.
Earlier this year, Mr. Blanche agreed to a settlement that resulted in tax audit immunity for President Trump and his family as well as a potential $1.8 billion payout fund controlled by his administration. It was an inside deal: Mr. Trump the citizen was on one side of the negotiation, while the Internal Revenue...
If Wednesday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Todd Blanche's nomination as US attorney general is at all fair, even Democrats will see he's eminently qualified.
On top of a distinguished private-sector record, Blanche has logged 15 years of sterling service in the Justice Department, including a flawless performance as assistant US attorney in New York: He's the sort of serious career lawyer everyone should want in charge at Justice.
Indeed, he's been running the department as interim AG since April, overseeing 100,000 staff, including at the FBI and 93 US...
Lenin Nolly/Sipa USA/Newscom
"I'm guessing I'll be in line," former FBI Director James Comey quipped after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced a "settlement agreement" between President Donald Trump and the IRS that included $1.8 billion in taxpayer money for targets of "lawfare and weaponization." Comey's joke encompasses two reasons why the Senate should not confirm Blanche as attorney general: a flagrantly unconstitutional prosecution and a brazenly corrupt arrangement that delivered huge favors to Trump, his family, and his followers at taxpayers' expense.
