The confirmation hearing for Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the US Department of Justice permanently, opened on Wednesday with his path to confirmation uncertain after two Republican senators signalled they had not yet decided to support him. With the Senate Judiciary Committee reduced to 11 Republican seats following the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, a single GOP defection could stall the nomination before it reaches the full Senate. The hearing, which continues on Thursday, is the first major test of Republican unity on a cabinet appointment since Graham’s passing.

Democratic members of the committee accused Blanche of acting as Trump’s personal defender rather than an independent law enforcement officer. Senator Dick Durbin, the panel’s ranking Democrat, cited the now-voided $1.8 billion ‘anti-weaponization’ fund, the settlement granting Trump and his family broad immunity from IRS audits, and the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files as evidence of what he termed ‘corruption’. More than 1,200 former Justice Department officials signed a letter opposing the nomination. Republican senators, however, focused their questions on whether the anti-weaponization fund was truly dead and whether Blanche would resist political pressure. Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina demanded a written commitment that no money would ever be disbursed, while Senator John Cornyn of Texas said he had ‘concerns’ and would not decide until after the hearing.

Blanche acknowledged ‘mistakes’ in the release of Epstein-related documents, in which some victims’ names were not properly redacted, and told Senator Richard Blumenthal he was ‘sorry’. He insisted the anti-weaponization fund ‘is dead’ and would not move forward, though he conceded that Trump, in his personal capacity, could still seek to enforce the underlying settlement. On the IRS deal, which a federal judge voided on Monday and referred Blanche for possible disciplinary action, the nominee maintained that such tax immunity agreements are ‘done regularly’. He also stumbled when asked about his relationship with Trump, initially saying ‘I am his lawyer’ before correcting himself to ‘was his lawyer’.

The committee is expected to vote on Blanche’s nomination in the coming days. If approved, it would proceed to the full Senate, where Republicans hold a narrow majority. However, the reservations expressed by Tillis and Cornyn, both of whom are leaving the Senate at the end of their terms, leave the outcome in doubt. The White House has publicly urged all Republican senators to confirm Blanche, with Trump praising his ‘phenomenal job’ as acting attorney general. The hearing resumes on Thursday, with testimony from Epstein survivors and further questioning of the nominee.