Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., delivered a scathing rebuke of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche during a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, criticizing lawmakers for failing to secure binding guarantees to restrain executive power or prevent alleged financial misconduct.
Booker argued the committee had yielded to Blanche without obtaining assurances that President Donald Trump would be prevented from benefiting from a taxpayer-funded “slush fund” or escaping accountability for past tax disputes and family business deals.
“Mr. Chairman, I’m shocked,” Booker said during the proceeding. “I think I’ve been here 14 years. I have not seen something as farcical as what I’ve witnessed over the last few weeks.”
Addressing assurances made regarding the fund, Booker argued the commitment lacked substance.
“I love the state of Texas. But I’m going to say it very clear: This is all hat and no cattle,” Booker said. “Where’s the beef? Where’s the beef? This is ridiculous. We got nothing. No guarantees whatsoever that this slush fund still can’t go forward. We got nothing that the president of the United States can’t cheat on his taxes and have no accountability.”
Booker referenced a 2018 Pulitzer Prize-winning news investigation into Trump’s tax history and noted that a court shut down Trump’s charitable foundation in New York state over self-dealing violations.
“We have a known arsonist, and we have just, in this committee, given him a whole barrel full of gasoline to light on fire our tax laws and have no accountability for the conflagration,” Booker told the panel.
The New Jersey senator also argued that Congress maintains a double standard regarding presidential families. While acknowledging criticisms surrounding former President Joe Biden’s family, Booker said lawmakers are overlooking billions generated by Trump’s commercial ventures, cryptocurrency products, and foreign ties. He likened the committee’s focus to staring through a magnifying glass at a small stain on a carpet while ignoring a massive pile of waste on the furniture behind them.
Turning to law enforcement actions, Booker questioned Blanche’s role in handling files connected to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Booker stated that Blanche attended an emergency White House Situation Room meeting after Trump appeared in Epstein-related records and later visited convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell in prison for two days. Booker noted that following those meetings, Maxwell was transferred to a lower-security prison despite offering no information leading to new indictments.
“Todd Blanche, at the highest heights of our Justice Department, ran to the prison of Ghislaine Maxwell,” Booker said. “He didn’t study the case files. He didn’t talk to the prosecutors. No, he ran to the jail cell and met with her for two days, insulting every single Epstein victim that had been asking for a meeting for years.”
Booker concluded his statement by warning that Blanche would operate as Trump’s personal defense attorney rather than an independent leader of the Department of Justice.
“He is about Trump and not truth,” Booker said. “He is about corruption and not the Constitution. He’s about being Donald Trump’s lawyer and not the people’s lawyer. This is so deeply wrong. We will rue the day that we let this man have this much power under such a corrupt president.”
READ: Michigan AG Reissues Data Breach Alert As Legislation Remains Stalled In House
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
