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** Blanche’s Hearing Ended. The Questions Didn't.
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Todd Blanche faced questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee this week for his confirmation hearing to become U.S. attorney general. Lawmakers pressed Blanche about many issues we’ve also been seeking answers about ([link removed]) — including his loyalty to President Donald Trump, his involvement in the Justice Department’s controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund,” and his handling of investigative files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Multiple senators have said they still have concerns ([link removed]) about Blanche after the hearing.

We are fighting to reveal as much as possible about Blanche’s conduct at DOJ so far, including whether he has already used his roles to shield Trump from scrutiny. This week, we released emails from DOJ ([link removed]) — first reported on by the New York Times ([link removed]) — that show Blanche oversaw the Justice Department’s Weaponization Working Group, assigning senior DOJ officials to politically charged investigations and convening recurring meetings to monitor the group’s work.

During the hearing, lawmakers questioned Blanche about whether DOJ purposely ([link removed].) redacted names of powerful people connected to Epstein from the files. Reporting has suggested that documents mentioning Trump were withheld from release, even though the Epstein Files Transparency Act prohibits shielding individuals from scrutiny including for “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.” As deputy attorney general, Blanche allegedly played ([link removed]) a central role in the department’s review of these records, so we filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests
([link removed]) for Blanche’s texts and emails about DOJ’s review of investigative files related to Epstein, including about redactions. We also have an active lawsuit ([link removed]) for additional records related to this review.

And, especially after Trump’s claims about elections during last night’s speech, we need to know whether Blanche was involved in the decision to permanently seal portions of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on the federal investigations into Trump’s 2020 election efforts and hoarding of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Special Counsel Smith has said he uncovered “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump unlawfully attempted to overturn the 2020 election, as well as “powerful evidence” that the president willfully retained highly classified documents after leaving office. But portions of this final report were blocked from release. We filed FOIA requests ([link removed]) for Blanche’s related emails and text messages, which could shed light on any involvement he may have had in those decisions.

The public needs to know if Blanche is capable of serving as the nation’s top law enforcement officer with the kind of impartiality that Americans need and deserve, or if he will continue to think of himself as the president’s lawyer.


** Is the Trump administration prepared for the next pandemic?
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This week, we launched an investigation ([link removed]) into the Trump administration’s pandemic preparedness efforts, filing FOIA requests for records on pandemic planning, interagency coordination, and the pandemic preparedness director.

From Ebola to hantavirus, the country is facing a growing array of public health threats — all while the Trump administration has weakened our public health infrastructure by cutting staff and canceling research. In addition, the administration has reportedly departed from previous pandemic response playbooks, but it has released little information about what guidance has replaced them, if any. We need to know how the federal government is preparing for public health threats.

“The American people deserve to know whether the Trump administration is preparing for the next public health emergency before it becomes a national crisis, as it did during the president’s first term,” said our Executive Director Chioma Chukwu ([link removed]) . “Pandemic preparedness begins long before a crisis. It requires planning, coordination, and informed decision-making before lives are placed at risk.”


** ICE fatally shot two more people. Here’s what we know about the agency’s use of force.
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At least two people died in ICE-involved shootings this week. We’ve been investigating the use of force by ICE: Here’s what we found so far ([link removed]) .

Earlier this year, we obtained ICE emails ([link removed]) that show DHS was aware of a 353% increase in use of force incidents involving officers in the first two months after Trump returned to the White House. We also published ICE use of force reports ([link removed]) that included the incident report on the fatal shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez. ICE hid details of the shooting for nearly a year. The incident report didn’t come to light until we sued for information about ICE’s use of force under the Trump administration.

Martinez’s case had some similarities to the incidents this week. In all three shootings, the victims were in their vehicles. ICE briefly halted most vehicle stops ([link removed]) after the shootings, but resumed the stops following pressure ([link removed]) from President Trump.

We’re demanding answers about ICE’s actions under the Trump administration ([link removed]) , including its use of surveillance and its targeting of vulnerable communities and sensitive locations.


** American Oversight in the news
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** ‘I am frustrated’: Emails show Blanche’s role in Trump’s retribution campaign (New York Times ([link removed]) )
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** Marco Rubio’s disappearing Signal chat (The Atlantic ([link removed]) )
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** DOGE is formally done. Where are its records? (Freedom of the Press Foundation ([link removed]) )
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** Other stories we’re following
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** House Republicans unveil a $95 billion plan for the Iran war, farm aid and elections (Associated Press ([link removed]) )
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** Republicans in North Carolina try to reduce early voting on Sundays and on campuses (New York Times ([link removed]) )
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** Detainees at ICE facility in Texas report frequent beatings and other human rights abuses (Associated Press ([link removed]) )
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** Health dept. rescinds freeze on $10 billion for 5 Democratic states (New York Times ([link removed]) )
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