{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-strongly-opposes-todd-blanche-for-us-attorney-general", "Reed Strongly Opposes Todd Blanche for U.S. Attorney General", "2026-08-08", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "RI", "Jack Reed", "R000122", "www.reed.senate.gov", "jackreed", "https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, after 50 Senate Republicans voted to confirm Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to be the next U.S. Attorney General, U.S. Senator Jack Reed, who voted against Blanche\u2019s nomination, issued the following statement:\n\n\u201cMr. Blanche\u2019s role in concealing the Epstein files and enthusiasm for a self-dealing $1.8 billion MAGA grievance slush fund for President Trump\u2019s partisan backers should be disqualifying. He has also shielded President Trump personally from scrutiny over his taxes. I do not believe he is someone who will defend the Constitution and be guided by the rule of law alone.\n\n\u201cHis actions have undercut DOJ\u2019s independence and compromised the Department\u2019s ability to check abuses of power.\n\n\u201cAnd he has presided over a Department of Justice that has tried to withhold funding for state and local law enforcement and victims of domestic violence.\n\n\u201cThe Attorney General is supposed to be the nation\u2019s top law enforcement officer, not the President\u2019s personal legal enforcer. But that is what Donald Trump wants: a hyper-partisan protector who will target the president\u2019s critics and shield him from legal accountability. It\u2019s clear from Mr. Blanche\u2019s record and statements that he is prioritizing President Trump\u2019s political conflicts over traditional DOJ law enforcement and independence. I believe he will seek to provide President Trump with political cover, even if that means covering up serious wrongdoing and preventing damaging facts in the Epstein Files from coming to light.\u201d", 1, "2026-08-17T05:33:43Z", "2026-08-17T05:34:34Z"]], "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.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-strongly-opposes-todd-blanche-for-us-attorney-general"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7556650564074516, "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"}