Following two days of testimony from Todd Blanche before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Kalshi traders have grown increasingly confident that he will be confirmed as the next U.S. attorney general.
After the hearing, Blanche's market price rose from 73% to 82%.
Blanche's testimony
Blanche, who served as President Donald Trump's personal defense attorney in several of his criminal cases, faced pointed questioning from senators over his confirmation hearing, which began July 15.
The New York Times reported that Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who is not seeking reelection, told Blanche that his confirmation vote was contingent on one condition: a meeting with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein. With Democrats on the Judiciary Committee unified in opposition, any single Republican defection would be enough to block the nomination from advancing out of committee, making Tillis a pivotal vote.
“I expect that meeting to occur before I’m willing to vote out of the committee,” Tillis said.
Blanche initially indicated he could not arrange such a meeting, but his position shifted quickly. The Hill reported, citing a source familiar with the matter who spoke to NewsNation, that Blanche had agreed to make time to meet with Epstein survivors. Tillis confirmed the development while maintaining he had not yet committed to a yes vote.
Tillis said he still hasn’t made up his mind on whether or not he’ll vote to confirm Blanche’s nomination, but he confirmed the news about Blanche’s meeting with victims.
“I have not made a final decision,” Tillis said. “But Mr. Blanche said very quickly yesterday that he would meet with the victims, the Epstein victims, today if it could be arranged.”
Blanche also acknowledged that mistakes were made in connection with redaction errors involving the release of the Epstein files.
The Washington Post reported that Tillis was not the only committee Republican to express reservations. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who lost his re-election primary in May to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana also raised substantive concerns. Cornyn pressed Blanche on why the Justice Department agreed to a settlement with the IRS that granted President Trump broad protections from future tax audits.
The BBC reported that the deal also established a $1.8 billion fund intended to compensate individuals who claimed they were unfairly targeted by the government, a fund that has since been abandoned. Trump had agreed to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS as part of the arrangement. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams subsequently voided the agreement, ruling it was filed for an improper purpose.
According to NPR, Kennedy pressed Blanche on the nature of his relationship with the president, asking directly: "Are you and President Trump friends?" Blanche did not answer the question directly, responding: "I'm his lawyer, was his lawyer. And now I'm the deputy attorney general."
Despite the pointed exchanges, Kalshi traders continue to assign Blanche strong odds of winning confirmation.
The takeaway
Kalshi markets now predict
Blanche becoming President Trump's attorney general: 82%
Follow Danny Gallagher on Instagram: @writerdannygallagher
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