Durbin To Republican Colleagues: Oppose Todd Blanche’s Nomination To Be Attorney General

Durbin To Republican Colleagues: Oppose Todd Blanche's Nomination To Be Attorney General

Durbin: "If there is ever a moment in history when we need an Attorney General above reproach, who is clearly dedicated to ending corruption… it's right now."

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today led his colleagues in speeches on the Senate floor in opposition to the nomination of Todd Blanche to be U.S. Attorney General. Durbin was joined by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

During his remarks, Durbin argued that Mr. Blanche's involvement with the nearly $2 billion January 6 slush fund and Trump tax immunity provision is disqualifying. Durbin began by recounting the tragic events of January 6, 2021, and Trump's decision to give full and unconditional pardons to the more than 1,500 people charged and convicted of offenses related to January 6 on his first day back in the Oval Office.

"I'm nearing the end of my Senate term, and I'm reflecting on some historic events which I've witnessed at this table, at this desk. One of the most historic I remember and specifically the date, January 6th, 2021," Durbin said. "What happened you can witness yourself on videotape-it's all there. About 150 of our Capitol Police [officers] were assaulted by these demonstrators. Some were seriously injured, others pushed to the brink, psychologically, which led to their deaths a day or two later. It was a horrible scene."

Durbin continued, "Fast forward four years and what happened next. President Trump was re-elected. And with the power under the Constitution to pardon those who committed a crime, on his first day in office in his second term, President Trump gave a full and unconditional pardon to every one of the convicted demonstrators who stormed this building… The reason I bring up this event years later is because there's an important issue to be voted on this week by the United States Senate, and that is the choice of the next Attorney General of the United States."

Durbin then outlined how Mr. Blanche was directly involved in establishing the January 6th slush fund and brokering the immunity deal that provided President Trump, his family, and his businesses with immunity for any federal tax law violations prior to May 19, 2026.

"One of the items of controversy is pretty easy to explain. President Trump believes, and Todd Blanche believed at one point, that the people who attacked the Capitol, the people who breached the Capitol, crashed through the doors, broke down the windows, threatened individuals inside, should receive financial compensation for doing it. And you say to yourself, they got a full and unconditional pardon by President Trump. Now they want money, too? And the answer is not only yes, but unfortunately, they've done it with some pride," Durbin said. "The Trump Administration proposed an anti-weaponization fund… And who was the person who executed that plan? Todd Blanche, the person who is seeking to become the next full-time Attorney General of the United States."

Durbin continued, "Secondly, there was a provision in a lawsuit. Now, here's what the lawsuit is all about. The President sued the IRS and Treasury, arguing that they disclosed his income tax returns without his permission. They arrested the man who actually did it. They caught him, and he was prosecuted… the President sued the IRS and Treasury for billions of dollars, billions, because they disclosed his income tax return. I'm completing quite a few years of public service. I've disclosed my income tax return every year without fail, as a Member of Congress and the Senate. I'm not posing for holy pictures. I'm just trying to tell you it isn't that big a deal if you follow the law. Do you know what the settlement of the Trump lawsuit was for disclosing his income tax returns? Part of the settlement said, get this now-and Todd Blanche is the draftsman of this as well-part of it said, neither the President, his family, or any of the companies in his Trump empire business can be held for violating any tax crimes in the United States. How would you like that get-out-of-jail-free card?"

Durbin continued by describing how Blanche has used his position to directly enrich the President. In April 2025, as then-Deputy Attorney General, Blanche disbanded the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team and shut down ongoing crypto-crime investigations. Last year, the President earned $1.4 billion from crypto alone, even as Americans lost billions of dollars to crypto fraud.

"If we say no one in America is above the law, how in the world can you justify doing this [tax immunity deal] for the Trump family and their businesses? And we know this President deals in big numbers when it comes to income. His first year in office estimates between $1.4 and $2 billion in the President's first year in office in his second term. $2 billion," Durbin said. "Well, you won't be surprised to know that there are cryptocurrency fingerprints all over this deal. The President made hundreds of millions of dollars off of a meme coin or some contraption that comes out of the cryptocurrency world. That's the reality. And who was overseeing this operation? Todd Blanche, a man who wants to be the number one law enforcement officer in the United States of America."

Durbin concluded, "This is a serious mistake for the Senate to approve Todd Blanche as the next Attorney General. If there is ever a moment in history when we need an Attorney General above reproach, who is clearly dedicated to ending corruption, even at the highest level of our government, it's right now… I beg my colleagues on the other side of the aisle… don't be in the history books on the wrong side when it comes to this issue. Come out against corruption. Come out for the prosecution of corporate fraud. Come out for changing the current situation in the United States to one that is more respectful of the law and more respectful of the families and voters who create this democracy. I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing the nomination of Todd Blanche as the next Attorney General of the United States."

Video of Durbin's floor speech is available here.

Audio of Durbin's floor speech is available here.

Footage of Durbin's floor speech is available here for TV Stations.

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