The GOP-led Senate Judiciary Committee should be a friendly place for President Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, but Todd Blanche may be about to enter a minefield.<\/p>\n

Democrats are promising to make Blanche\u2019s Wednesday confirmation hearing an indictment of his record as Trump\u2019s former personal lawyer \u2014 and, more recently, as the face of the haphazard rollout of the Jeffrey Epstein files and the thwarted launch of a $1.8 billion fund to pay out \u201cvictims\u201d of \u201clawfare\u201d that critics called a slush fund benefitting Trump\u2019s allies.<\/p>\n

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Senate Judiciary Democrat, accused Blanche of \u201caiding and abetting the most corrupt administration in history,\u201d and plans to push him on the \u201cbotched release of the Epstein Files, the MAGA slush fund for cop beaters, the Trump-IRS sweetheart deal, and his crypto corruption.\u201d<\/p>\n

Across the aisle, GOP committee members John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina will be leaving office at the end of this term and have little left to lose in bucking Trump. Both men have signaled their support for Blanche could hinge on how he answers a host of questions on the controversial settlement that led to the establishment of the \u201canti-weaponization fund.\u201d Mainly, they want assurances that the fund is dead.<\/p>\n

A federal court ruling<\/u><\/a> Monday suggesting that Blanche could face discipline for his handling of that settlement has only raised the stakes for Cornyn, who said that while he \u201cwan[ted] to do the right thing,\u201d he also \u201cwant[ed] an attorney general who will enforce the law and who won\u2019t be just a lawyer for the president. I haven\u2019t finally decided yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Tillis said his \u201cposture right now is a \u2018yes\u2019\u201d vote on Blanche, he cautioned that he still had \u201cissues\u201d with the fund that must be addressed.<\/p>\n

Assuming members of the Judiciary Committee vote along party lines to advance Blanche\u2019s nomination to the full Senate, a single GOP defection could derail his path. It means that Blanche is under enormous pressure to perform Wednesday without any missteps \u2014 and any unforced errors could make it harder for Republican leaders to confirm him before the month-long August recess.<\/p>\n

There have been signs in recent days that Blanche has been seeking to smooth things over for himself ahead of his confirmation hearing. He was on Capitol Hill Tuesday for meetings with lawmakers, including Durbin, who said Blanche told him he \u201cmade a mistake\u201d in his handling of the now-defunct \u201canti-weaponization fund.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blanche has also been working to make inroads with GOP senators off the Judiciary Committee, too. In the past week, he\u2019s embarked on a multi-day tour<\/u><\/a> of Alaska, home to moderate GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski, where he announced a nearly $200 million<\/u><\/a> settlement between the Justice Department and Anchorage over a port expansion project.<\/p>\n

Murkowski said Tuesday she still has some \u201cspecific follow ups\u201d for Blanche.<\/p>\n

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who faces a competitive reelection campaign this November, said Tuesday she has \u201cnot made a decision\u201d on Blanche, <\/b>explaining that she was waiting to see what comes from the hearing.<\/p>\n

Blanche \u2014 who can afford to lose only two Republican votes on the Senate floor, assuming the vote is along party lines \u2014 will answer questions from lawmakers Wednesday. A panel of outside witnesses will testify Thursday about Blanche\u2019s character.<\/p>\n

Republicans have invited<\/u><\/a> former Attorney General John Ashcroft, who served under President George W. Bush; John Adler, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association; and Jennifer Bos, who has advocated for tough immigration policies after her daughter was murdered by an undocumented immigrant.<\/p>\n

Democrats are calling<\/u><\/a> Danielle Bensky, a survivor of Epstein\u2019s sex crimes whose name was inadvertently revealed as part of the release of the Epstein files. They\u2019re also calling former DOJ pardon attorney Liz Oyer.<\/p>\n

At Wednesday\u2019s hearing, Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats want to gin up more consternation about the way Blanche handled the public disclosure of the Epstein case files in the Justice Department\u2019s possession when he was deputy attorney general.<\/b><\/p>\n

After a series of blunders by his predecessor Pam Bondi, Blanche served as a public face of a rollout that was marred by redaction errors and criticized by some lawmakers \u2014 and Epstein victims \u2014 as improperly protective of Trump and other powerful men mentioned in the files.<\/p>\n