Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche clashed sharply with Senate Democrats during his confirmation hearing Wednesday, fielding pointed questions on several fronts, including President Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), wearing a stern expression, pressed Blanche directly over Patel’s conduct. “How long do you intend to put up with that Kash Patel character?” Whitehouse asked. “Are you good with his airplane jaunts? Are you confident he’s not drinking on the job?
“Are you sure none of his travel is a pretext for vacation activities like snorkeling, Olympics and visiting girlfriends?” the Rhode Island Democrat continued.
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Blanche bristled at the line of questioning. “That’s an extraordinarily obnoxious question, senator,” he replied. “And I have full faith in Director Patel and the work that he’s doing every day.”
Whitehouse fired back: “Great, you get to own that.”
The tense back-and-forth came after Whitehouse dropped a stack of documents on the hearing table, saying they represented multiple requests he had submitted for Justice Department files and demanding that Blanche address them.
Whitehouse also walked through a series of indictments that had been thrown out by judges, arguing that the cases raised troubling questions about possible political motivation.
“That’s not reflective of the hundreds of thousands of indictments and informations that have been filed,” Blanche countered.
“While cherry-picking a few isolated words from district court or magistrate judges in certain districts is something that you’re entitled to do, it’s absolutely false to suggest that this Department of Justice is not executing as we should and doing the right thing every single day,” the acting AG said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
