Topline
A federal judge’s ruling against President Donald Trump was particularly scathing in her comments about Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, which takes on greater relevance Wednesday as he sits for a confirmation hearing Wednesday.
Blanche is sitting for a confirmation hearing Wednesday morning. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
In a scathing ruling Monday, U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams took aim at Blanche and recommended disciplinary action against him and other attorneys representing Trump in his lawsuit against the IRS.
Williams questioned Blanche’s ethics, noting his previous service as Trump’s personal lawyer before his tenure at the Department of Justice.
She ordered the court to mail a copy of her ruling to the State Bar of New York, of which Blanche is a member and where he has already been slapped with an ethics complaint backed by more than 101 former federal and state judges.
here’s what williams wrote about blanche
“The Court is extremely troubled by the testimony given by Acting Attorney General Blanche on May 19, 2026. In response to why the ‘settlement agreement’ had not been submitted to this Court for review, he stated that ‘there is no judge’ because the case had been dismissed and, therefore, there was ‘no mechanism’ for reviewing the agreement. While temporally accurate, this answer is, at best, misleading and, at worst, disingenuous. The Court was available to review any pleading by any Party at any time during this lawsuit. And if Acting Attorney General Blanche had thought the dismissal was improvidently granted or thought Plaintiffs misspoke when they said, ‘no judicial analysis is appropriate,’ he only had to file an appearance and ask for relief.”
what to watch for
Blanche is testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday morning as the Senate weighs whether to confirm him as Attorney General. Blanche told lawmakers in his opening statement he is “here today to earn your trust.” Among the issues expected to be raised Wednesday include Blanche’s involvement in the creation of the anti-weaponization fund and his handling of the Epstein files.
key background
Williams voided Trump’s IRS settlement earlier this week, accusing him of “improperly” using the court to “provide some legitimacy to an agreement to confer immunity to people and entities affiliated with the president.” Trump had sued the IRS for $10 billion in January, alleging it failed to keep his tax returns private after details leaked to the press. Trump dropped the suit in May to settle with the IRS in a deal that gave him a $1.8 billion fund meant to pay those who claimed they were unfairly targeted by the Biden administration, including Jan. 6 rioters. Blanche later said the government was not moving forward with the fund, though Trump defended it as a “great idea.”
further reading
Judge Smacks Down Trump’s IRS Settlement And Orders Sanctions (Forbes)