Congress

Senate Judiciary Dems call Epstein victim to testify against Todd Blanche for attorney general

Published

2 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Senate Judiciary Democrats have invited Danielle Bensky, a survivor of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, to testify against acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in his quest to lead the Justice Department permanently.

Bensky will sit on a panel of outside witnesses to be convened Thursday, the day after Blanche sits for his confirmation hearing before the panel.

Democrats decision to include her underscores their intent to make Blanche’s confirmation process about his handling of the release of the so-called Epstein files, which were rolled out late and with botched redactions.

“Dani Bensky is a brave survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s horrific crimes. Her name has been included in multiple batches of released Epstein Files, due to Todd Blanche’s failures,” Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said in a statement.

“She’s attempted multiple times to redact her information without success,” Durbin added.

A group of Epstein survivors separately released a video Monday evening urging senators to oppose Blanche for his role in overseeing the haphazard release of Epstein materials in DOJ’s possession.

The minority witness list will also include Liz Oyer, a former DOJ pardon attorney, according to Durbin, saying in his statement she was “fired by Blanche for refusing to rubberstamp gun ownership rights to Mel Gibson, a convicted domestic violence abuser and friend of Donald Trump.”

“They will offer compelling testimony about the dangers of Todd Blanche weaponizing the Justice Department in service of Donald Trump, rather than the American people,” Durbin said of both Oyer and Bensky.

Republicans have not yet announced who they will invite to testify in support of Blanche, who is also currently serving as the deputy attorney general.

Congress

Ron Johnson is full speed ahead on Reconciliation 3.0

Published

1 hour ago

July 13, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Sen. Ron Johnson doesn’t know when he will officially take over as chair of the Senate Budget Committee, a post left vacant by the sudden death Saturday of Sen. Lindsey Graham.

But the Wisconsin Republican is wasting no time getting ready.

“I’ve already met with Lindsey’s staff this afternoon,” Johnson said soon after arriving at the Capitol on Monday.

He acknowledged the gravity of his longtime colleague’s loss and said he understood the need to “take one step at a time.” But he also said he is hoping to quickly pick up where Graham left off on a new party-line budget reconciliation bill — something Johnson has advocated for more than a year and is now getting a fresh push from President Donald Trump.

The president wants the legislation to send $350 billion to the Pentagon and enact a litany of other GOP priorities ahead of the midterm elections.

While Graham was keen on delivering the defense funding by hook or by crook, Johnson is a veteran deficit hawk who told reporters Monday evening that identifying the maximum number of spending offsets “would certainly be one of my objectives” for the developing legislation.

Johnson said he is already in ongoing talks with House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), who is planning to advance a fiscal blueprint for the GOP-only bill as soon as this week. Some Republicans are eyeing billions of dollars in savings from targeting purported fraud in Medicare, Medicaid and other social programs to offset any new spending.

Johnson said he hasn’t seen a draft of the House budget blueprint, which must be adopted in both chambers to unlock the party-line reconciliation process, but expects to be in touch with Arrington and White House officials as the process progresses.

“It’s a team sport,” he said. “I just want to do everything I can to organize the effort so we can succeed.”

Johnson said he is also vetting a House proposal related to voter-ID legislation from Rep. Bryan Steil, the fellow Wisconsin Republican who leads the House panel overseeing election matters. If found to comply with strict reconciliation rules, it could serve to partially sidestep the Democratic filibuster of the SAVE America Act — the GOP elections bill that Trump has repeatedly pushed Congress to pass.

“I’ve already given that to Budget Committee staff to kind of get their opinion on it,” Johnson said of Steil’s proposal. “I mean, in the end, it’s going to be the parliamentarian that rules.”

Congress

Darline Graham Nordone’s swearing-in

Published

2 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Darline Graham Nordone, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sister, will take the oath of office to fill her brother’s seat at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss unannounced scheduling.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her Monday to fill the vacancy for the rest of the year. She is not expected to seek the Republican nomination for the subsequent term.

Congress

Vance postpones House GOP visit

Published

3 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Vice President JD Vance is rescheduling a planned Tuesday morning meeting with House Republicans, according to a person granted anonymity to describe private planning.

Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), the GOP Conference chair, invited Vance to the weekly member meeting to deliver remarks and take questions. Blue Light News previously reported that Vance had planned to encourage them to reopen the floor and advance Trump’s agenda after leaders sought White House help with ending an internal GOP rebellion.