Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche faced an intense session of congressional questioning on Tuesday May 19, appearing before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee where Democratic senators pressed him simultaneously on his visit to convicted Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell and the Trump administration’s newly announced $1.8 billion fund described as a vehicle for compensating people the government allegedly persecuted.
The Maxwell exchange with Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island became the most closely watched moment of the hearing, with Reed suggesting that Blanche had visited Maxwell and that shortly afterwards she was transferred from a high-security prison to a more comfortable facility.
Blanche pushed back with visible irritation, insisting Reed’s characterisation was factually wrong and that Maxwell was transferred from one low-security facility to another, not from a high-security prison.
The precise sequence of events behind Maxwell’s prison transfer, which occurred after Blanche met with her at a federal courthouse in Tallahassee in July 2025 over the course of two days, has attracted sustained attention given the circumstances.
Maxwell had reportedly initiated that meeting, and her lawyer said at the time that she answered all questions fully and honestly, with the Department of Justice declining to detail what was discussed.
On the question of a potential presidential pardon, Senator Chris Van Hollen pressed Blanche directly and received a more straightforward answer: Blanche committed clearly to not recommending a pardon for Maxwell, saying “yes, I can commit to that, of course,” a concession that drew significant coverage given Trump’s own public statement weeks prior that he had the power to grant such a pardon.
Eighteen Epstein survivors have separately accused Blanche of lying under oath during the hearing, alleging he claimed to have met with them and their lawyers when they say no such meetings took place, adding another disputed factual layer to an already contentious appearance.
The $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund attracted equally pointed questioning, with Reed demanding that Blanche assure the committee that neither President Trump nor his family would receive proceeds from the fund.
Blanche described the fund as operating through a commission of five individuals who would evaluate claims, with himself as Attorney General responsible for appointing commissioners alongside one appointment made in consultation with congressional leadership.
Reed and other Democratic senators noted that reporting suggested Trump would retain ultimate authority over who remained on the commission, a detail Blanche did not address directly during the exchange.
