{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hirono-presses-attorney-general-nominee-todd-blanche-on-doj-weaponization-rule-of-law", "Hirono Presses Attorney General Nominee Todd Blanche on DOJ Weaponization, Rule of Law", "2026-07-15", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Mazie K. Hirono", "H001042", "www.hirono.senate.gov", "hirono", "https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "~ Watch Senator Hirono\u2019s Questions Here ~\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a senior member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, pressed Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche on his role in weaponizing the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) against President Trump\u2019s perceived enemies during Mr. Blanche\u2019s nomination hearing. During her question line, Senator Hirono also questioned Mr. Blanche on his failure to rescind the anti-weaponization slush fund and got Blanche to commit on the record to cooperating with the state of New Mexico\u2019s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s Zorro Ranch.\n\n\u201cMr. Blanche, you see nothing wrong with the President treating DOJ as his own personal law firm to use against his perceived enemies and as a way of helping his friends,\u201d said Senator Hirono. \u201cYou oversaw the botched release of the Epstein files, denying justice once again to survivors who have been waiting so long for it. You have no business being the Attorney General of the United States.\u201d\n\nEarlier in the hearing, following a question by Senator John Kennedy (R-LA), Mr. Blanche asserted that he is \u201cthe President\u2019s lawyer.\u201d Senator Hirono raised alarms about Blanche\u2019s role in enabling DOJ to serve as President Trump\u2019s personal law firm. She cited a social media post from President Trump calling for George Soros to be criminally charged, and a DOJ investigation into Soros that was opened shortly after that post. Senator Hirono also highlighted DOJ\u2019s lawsuits seeking full voter lists as part of a campaign to suppress the votes of American citizens, asking Blanche if any of the judges in the 14 resolved lawsuits have sided with DOJ.\n\n\u201cThe answer is no,\u201d said Senator Hirono. \u201cThese 14 federal judges, some of them were Trump appointees, disagreed with DOJ\u2019s position.\u201d\n\nSenator Hirono asked Blanche about public statements he previously made declaring \u201cwar\u201d on federal judges who were ruling against the administration. Blanche clarified that he did not believe federal judges should be impeached for ruling against the administration.\n\nSenator Hirono concluded her line of questioning by pressing Blanche on his memo that effectively terminated DOJ\u2019s cryptocurrency investigations and prosecutions. Senator Hirono led her colleagues in calling on DOJ to reconsider that memo. When the memo was issued, Blanche held significant cryptocurrency assets. Senator Hirono led her colleagues in a letter questioning Blanche\u2019s cryptocurrency conflicts, but he has not responded. Since Blanche\u2019s memo eviscerating cryptocurrency enforcement work, Americans have reported over $11 billion in crypto fraud losses to the FBI in the past year.\n\n\u201cIt is clear to me your leadership will be a continuation of what we have seen so far at the Trump Department of Justice. You are more likely to be called the Department of Retribution and Corruption,\u201d said Senator Hirono.\n\nSince the beginning of President Trump\u2019s second term, Senator Hirono has been fighting back against the Trump Administration\u2019s flagrant attacks on the rule of law. In March, on the Senate Floor, Senator Hirono opposed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act which, unlike its name suggests, would make it significantly harder for Americans to exercise their right to vote. Additionally, Senator Hirono has consistently raised alarms about the Administration\u2019s failure to adequately address cryptocurrency related crimes. Senator Hirono has also consistently sought justice for sexual assault survivors, including those assaulted by Jeffrey Epstein and President Trump.\n\nTo see the full video of Senator Hirono\u2019s questions click here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-16T07:21:44Z", "2026-07-16T07:23:13Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hirono-presses-attorney-general-nominee-todd-blanche-on-doj-weaponization-rule-of-law"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6697989776730537, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}